Future Calling
by kixbra
Summary: Caroline from the future suddenly drops into Mystic Falls at the end of 02x04 "Memory Lane" and Damon must help her find the two witches she's after before they destroy his timeline. Of course, Katherine proves troublesome, but future Caroline promises that help is on the way. Delena, Steroline
1. Chapter 1

Summary: Caroline from the future suddenly drops into Mystic Falls at the end of 02x04 "Memory Lane" and Damon must help her find the two witches she's after before they destroy his timeline. Of course, Katherine proves troublesome, but future Caroline promises that help is on the way. Delena, Steroline

Disclaimer: The Vampire Diaries does not belong to me.

Damon steps out of the Grill and into the chili night air of Mystic Falls, leaving behind Caroline in her lone booth. Stefan slipped out shortly after his break up with Elena.

Like that'll last, he muses. Damon is certain that the tiff disrupting his little brother's epic love will resolve and the happy couple will live happily ever after. Because Stefan always gets the girl.

Damon turns away from the park and takes a few strides along the side walk, but quickly comes to a stop when a very unwelcome voice calls to him.

"Bad day?" says the she-devil. The pain of seeing her again is almost unbearable. He isn't sure if it's heart or his pride that hurts more.

"Bed century," Damon quips with meaningful glare, but Katherine just tilts her head with a delightfully evil gleam in her eyes. "I heard you where on the loose."

"What's a matter? Jealous I spent the day with Stefan?"

"I don't do jealous. Not with you. Not anymore. " Damon sneers at the bitch that crushed his heart and walks away. He refuses to give her any more power over him. But, Katherine loves playing her games and toying with an angry Damon is far more entertaining than a lovesick Damon.

"Then, why so pouty?" She asks, following after him.

"Tried to kill a werewolf and failed. Now, I feel like I'm not living up to my best self."

Katherine smiles inwardly at the opportunity to hook her dear Damon. Outwardly, she sighs knowingly. "Well, werewolves aren't easy prey."

Immediately, Damon stops and turns back to Katherine, much to her glee. "What do you know about werewolves?"

"Why don't you ask your brother?" She answers and Damon frowns at the barb, but doesn't respond. "Don't try to be the hero, Damon. You'll end up dead."

"Been there, done that. At least this time, it'll be worth it."

Damon takes deep satisfaction in his last insult before striding away to leave Katherine glaring at his back. He hates that her sudden appearance can affect him this much. He'll be so glad when she finishes whatever evil plans she has for this town and leaves. Although, if her confessions of true love are to be believed, Stefan may have a hard time getting rid of the dirty slut. Damon thrusts his thoughts of Katherine away into a dark corner of his mind and tries desperately to wall away the emotions they stir. He intends to build upon Katherine's wall everyday until he doesn't have to pretend the hurt away anymore. He knows from experience that one day the wall will be strong enough to protect him from the pain and embarrassment that accompany memories of Katherine. His Enzo wall has held strong for over half a century.

Damon doesn't get far along the sidewalk when a loud crackling noise captures his attention. He turns toward the park at the same time Katherine notices. They both stare into the dark night, trying to find the source of the odd sounds. A monument stands in the center of the park with trees littered throughout and several people stroll along on their evening errands. The crackling noise grows louder and an odd ripping sound joins the harmony. A handful of people stop to investigate and others rush off to safety. Damon steps off the sidewalk for a closer look, but Katherine calls to him before he can cross the street.

"Damon, don't. You don't know what's out there."

"And, you do?" He asks sarcastically. She shakes her head and Damon rolls his eyes. "Like I'd believe you."

He trudges closer to the park, but stops when he pinpoints the source of the sound. It's coming from the monument. He rushes through the trees in a vampiric blur as the marble stone begins to glow hot. The curious humans gather around, but none of them notice Damon's sudden appearance. Without warning, lightening arches through the night air, erupting from the molten marble and strikes nearby trees. The humans scream in terror and take cover. Most run for home or to local businesses. Strike after strike escapes and Damon rushes back to a safe distance. He knows something is about to happen, but he has no idea what.

What if it's a bomb? The thought spears his mind and fear laces through him. Maybe, Katherine was right. This isn't a good idea.

As the marble melts into a puddle of hot magma, Damon steps further away and edges toward the street. Two humans remain huddled behind an undamaged tree.

Yeah, it's time to go. Just as Damon is about to turn away and leave the frighten Mystic Falls residents to their fates, everything falls silent. The crackling and ripping noise is gone. The pool of molten marble remains hot as ever, but the lightening is no more. Damon steps closer with a nervous frown. And, then a very naked and screaming Caroline stumbles out of thin air and onto the charred grass at the base of the monument.

"What the hell?" Damon mutters before jumping to help the baby vamp. Caroline writhes on the ground in pain and Damon rushes to help her to her feet. He grabs her arm, but her skin sloughs off into his hand. That's when he realizes that all of Caroline's skin is melting just like the marble monument. Caroline looks up to meet his gaze and Damon stumbles back from the horrible scene. The skin from her face droops into a molten mess leaving unharmed muscles and bone beneath. Luckily, her vampire healing kicks in quickly to replace the shed skin and Caroline's face is back to same seventeen year old girl he knows. Although, she's much paler than he's used to.

"Caroline, what the hell did you do?" Damon asks as she climbs to her feet. He watches her sigh in relief and assumes it's because the pain from melting skin has finally stopped. She ignores his question and glances around the park as though searching for something.

"Did you see them?" She asks in a panicky voice.

"Who?" Damon asks. "All I saw was Chris Angels's magic show."

Caroline curses and grabs her head in pain. The two humans brave enough to hang around for the light show slowly climb to their feet and recognize the blonde teenager.

"Caroline! Oh my god! Are you okay? Why are you naked?" One of the teenage girls asks as she hands her friend her long jacket.

"Were you abducted by aliens or something?" The second girl adds.

Damon almost laughs at the suggestion, but stops. He watches Caroline slip on the jacket and frowns as he considers the possibility. Vampires, witches, werewolves, why not aliens?

"Were you?" Damon whispers in honest concern. Caroline finishes clasping the jacket closed with a great full sigh that the jacket is long enough to cover her unmentionables, before stopping to stare at her sire in disbelief.

"No, Damon. I was not abducted by aliens."

"Then, what was that? And, why are you naked in the park?" One of the girls asks. "Were we drugged? Are we hallucinating?"

"All good questions," Damon adds.

Caroline rolls her eyes at Damon and turns to the girls. She quickly compels both teenagers to be quiet and to forget everything they see tonight. Then, she bites into each neck and drains them into unconsciousness.

"I see you've given up on Stefan's bunny diet," Damon quips. Caroline wipes her mouth and catches sight of something behind Damon.

"Don't tell them that I'm here," she pleads and vamp speeds away. Confused, Damon turns around to see Katherine stalking toward him from the street. A fully clothed Caroline stands in front of the Grill behind the she-devil. Catching sight of Damon and two seemingly dead humans, the blonde vampire rushes toward him.

"What was it?" Katherine asks first.

"Psychedelic light show. Totally not worth the ticket price."

"Oh my God, Karen and Tara! What did you do to them?" Caroline asks rushing to her friends' sides.

"What do you mean, what did I do to them?"

"If you didn't who did, Damon?" Katherine asks suspiciously and points at the remains of the monument. "Maybe, who ever was responsible for that?"

Damon flashes a satisfied smile, glad to finally have something on Katherine. "Too bad, you'll never know. Uh oh, are those police sirens I hear? We better be going, Caroline."

"What? No, I need to stay with my friends to make sure you didn't kill them," she argues with an accusing glare. Damon stares at her in confusion and opens his mouth to release a sarcastic comment about her terrible acting, but something behind her catches his eyes. A naked blonde in a long coat watches from a dark alley as she hides behind a dumpster.

"Fine," he says dismissively.

"Where are you going?" Katherine demands to know as he brushes past her.

"Don't worry about it. Besides, shouldn't you be sniffing around Stefan. I hear his epic romance with Elena has come to its tragic end. Nows, the time to get your perfectly manicured claws back in him," Demand retorts as several police cars pull up and Sherif Forbes jumps out.

"Don't underestimate me, Damon. I will find out what you're up to. It's only a matter of time."

"Not tonight. Unless you want to pretend to be Elena for the next several hours and make police statements. Personally, I love spending time with my favorite sherif. Your choice."

Katherine grudgingly looks around at the growing crowd of people and police, then looks back at Damon with a huff of resignation. Then, she's gone. Damon immediately rushes to the alley hiding the blond imposter and doesn't hesitate to pin her against the brick wall by her throat.

"Who are you? And, why do you look like Caroline? And, does it have anything to do with why Katherine and Elena look alike?"

"Let me go, Damon. What is wrong with you?" The imposter complains in very compelling imitation of the baby vampire he loaves. Angry now, he squeezes her tight and bares his vampire face threatening.

"Stop playing games and tell me, now."

The Caroline imposter doesn't cower at his threat or squirm for freedom as he knows the real Caroline would, instead she frowns angrily and grabs the hand holding her. With ease, she squeezes hard enough to break every bone in his hand and rips it away from her throat.

"Ow!" Damon squeals as he steps away, cradling his injured hand. Caroline slips down the wall and watches patiently as his hand heals.

"I don't have time for this, Damon. I need to find them."

"Find who? And, you still haven't told me who you are. Or, why you look like Caroline," Damon complains, flexing his newly healed hand. Caroline considers what to say and how to explain her current predicament, but a familiar voice grabs her attention.

"Caroline, what happened here?" Sheriff Forbes asks her daughter in the middle of the park. The naked Caroline immediately snaps her head toward the sound as her as her vampiric hearing picks up her mother's voice. Forgetting about Damon, she steps around the corner of the building to see her mother speaking to the fully dressed version. Hiding in the shadows, Caroline watches Liz's concerned expression twist into confusion as her daughter lies. She tells her mother that she doesn't know what happened. She found her friends alone in the park after leaving the grill.

The naked Caroline barely acknowledges the conversation. Everything else falls away, while she watches every move her mother makes. Caroline struggles to breath past the bittersweet joy of seeing her Liz, again. The yearning to go to her mother and wrap her arms around her one more time is overwhelming. Tears blur Caroline's vision as she decides to run Liz and tell her how much she is loved and missed. But, the moment she steps around the dumpster, Damon grabs her arm and twisters her around to face him. Damon watches the swirl of emotions that pass over Caroline's face and steps back even more confused. Only a daughter could look at her mother that way.

"You don't just look like Caroline? It's more than that...How's this possible?"

"It's complicated," she whispers before turning back to watch her mother load the other Caroline into the cruiser and drive away.

"Well, uncomplicated it," Damon demands.

"Okay, long story short," Caroline says, wiping away her tears and taking a deep breath to gather herself. "I'm from the future."


	2. Chapter 2

"I'm stuck in a bad 80's movie," Damon groans and rubs his face in frustration. He takes a deep breath, dropping his hands from his face, and flicks them at Caroline in exasperation. "What?"

"What's not to get, Damon. I'm from the future," she says and turns to walk away. He grabs her arm to stop her, but she pulls away. "Don't touch me."

"Where are you going?" Damon asks, surprised that she can break his hold. That's twice now that she's managed to escape his grasp. Future or not, how old is she?

"I just crossed through an inter-dimensional portal that feeds on magic," she says over her shoulder. "I'm hungry."

"I guess your two friends back there weren't enough to tide you over?"

Caroline chuckles sardonically at Damon's comment as he follows her across the street to the now empty park. "You really don't know anything about time portals, do you?"

"Okay," he says, suddenly wishing for a drink. He considers just leaving the crazy blonde and heading to the Grill for a shot of bourbon. "Assuming I actually believe that…"

"What, you'll believe I was abducted by aliens, but not that I'm from the future?" Caroline asks incredulously, turning to face him with her hands on her hips defiantly. She ignores the cool breeze brushing against her bare ass under the long coat.

"Yes."

Caroline scoffs at his simple response and Damon sneers. "For all I know, this is the same freaky genetics that make Elena and Katherine possible."

"That's not genetics. It's magic. They are doppelgängers," she argues, crossing her arms over her chest. "They look alike, but they are completely different people. I am Caroline. The same Caroline that just left with my…"

Damon watches her stern voice crack and stumble at the mention of Liz and he almost believes she truly cares for the Sheriff. Almost.

"You know what," Caroline continues. "Forget it. I don't need you to believe me. And, I don't need your help."

She whips around and stomps away very Caroline-like. Damon watches her for a moment and debates whether to go after her. She's obviously lying about time travel. Seriously, how stupid does she think he is? But, she hasn't explained why she looks so much like the real Caroline. And, her comments about doppelgängers suggests that she knows something about Elena.

And, there it is. If the crazy blonde has information on Elena, Damon can't let her just walk away with it. Elena may be mad at him. Like, royally pissed.

Yes, Damon. You have lost me forever.

He grimaces at Elena's earlier words. Whether she meant them or not, they hurt. But, Elena wants any information available on doppelgängers. She even asked about them during their trip to Duke. Since, the hottie with a crossbow was a bust, maybe this Caroline imposter can provide some much needed insight.

Or, she could just lie about it. Only crazy people claim time travel, Damon mutters to himself, but follows after the blonde anyway. And, even crazier people listen.

Damon catches up to Caroline at the center of the park. The police are gone along with the unconscious teenagers, but the melted remains of the monument is taped off with yellow police tape. Caroline looks around in confusion, prompting Damon to ask.

"What are you looking for?"

"The portal. It's gone."

"How can you tell?" Damon asks, looking around. He's suddenly worried that he'll accidentally step through an invisible tear in reality…or at least somewhere else. The imposter did appear out of thin air, she had to come from somewhere. But, definitely not the future.

"It's a hole in the fabric of time and space, Damon. They are kind of hard to miss," Caroline says, throwing her hands up in the air.

"You need to get your story straight, imposter Barbie. Lightening and some strange noises preluded your arrival, but I never saw anything that I would consider a portal…to anywhere."

"Really?" Caroline asks, turning to face him.

"Nope," Damon assures her. "I mean you're welcome to describe it to me, but I'm pretty sure you're full of shit."

Caroline immediately frowns and glares at him until a thought occurs her.

"I think you're exact words were 'swirling vortex of doom'," she says with a sly smile and turns away from him to continue out of the park.

Damon frowns, but follows after the blonde vampire. My words? Right, like I'm going to believe that. Time to get this train back on track.

"Let's pretend, like I actually believe you," Damon says.

"Which you don't," Caroline quips over her shoulder as she crosses the street. "Because you're paranoid. And, delusional. And, a jackass. And…"

"I said pretend."

"That's just it, Damon," Caroline argues as she stops in front of a newspaper dispensers and rips it open.

"I don't have time to play your game of twenty questions," she pauses from her thievery to look up at the elder Salvatore brother. "That is what you want, right? Information on something. Because as certain as you are that I'm lying about the time travel, there's tiny part of you that believes me. And, God forbid Damon Salvatore pass up the chance to gain an advantage on all his current and future nemeses."

Caroline cocks an eyebrow at him while Damon glares and mumbles. "Whatever."

She chuckles at his typical response and pulls a newspaper from the dispenser. She unfolds it to search for the date and frowns when she finds it.

"I just turned," she whispers. "That means I'm still in high school. Junior year. With Elena and…Bonnie."

The joyous smile that spreads across this Caroline's face as she mentions the teenage witch surprises Damon. It's genuine. That's twice now that this imposter has displayed a real emotional response that he might expect from the baby vamp. Either this Caroline is a fantastic actress and knows exactly how to channel the real Caroline, or…

Nope. No way. Not even gonna go there. I don't know what this crazy chick is playing at, but she is NOT a time traveler.

Meanwhile, Caroline presses the newspaper to her chest as she remembers one of her closest friends. She remembers all the fun they had as kids and the trouble they caused as teenagers. She remembers watching Bonnie grow older and raise her kids. She also remembers how much she misses her old friend and hopes to get to see her during this visit. But, that's not why she's here. Caroline shakes her and slowly places the newspaper back into the dispenser.

"I need to find them," she says with renewed determination.

"Who?" Damon asks automatically.

"Jo and Lizzie," Caroline answers as she continues down the sidewalk away for the town square. "And, Hope, too, I guess."

"Who the hell are they?" He asks, following her.

"They're my…they're witches, sort of."

"And, I suppose they are responsible for the…"

"Time portal," Caroline provides with a smirk.

"Light show and disappearing acting. So, why do you have to find them?"

"Because they are in trouble. Or, they're going to cause trouble. Either way, I have to find them and bring them home," Caroline explains.

"To the future," Damon clarifies sarcastically.

"Yes, Damon. To the future," Caroline confirms with a exasperated roll of her eyes. "Now, have you seen any thing suspicious lately?"

"Suspicious like a swirling vortex of doom or Chris angel's light show?"

"Now, you're getting it."

"I'll tell you what," Damon says grabbing Caroline's shoulder and she turns around to face him. "You answer my question and I'll answer yours."

"Fine," she agrees with an annoyed huff and crosses her arms over her chest expectantly.

"Tell me what you know about doppelgängers," he demands.

"I don't have time to explain everything, but they're basically supernatural beings created by the universe to balance out a crazy witch's attempt at immortality 2000 years ago. Every few hundred years, they are born and their blood is incredibly valuable to certain witches and…Klaus," Caroline explains quickly.

"Who's Klaus?" Damon asks immediately.

"Nope, you're turn."

Damon frowns at the blonde's explanation. Now, he has more questions than when he started. Who's Klaus? Is he looking for Elena? Why is Elena's blood so valuable? Does that mean Katherine's blood is valuable? Does Katherine know about the doppelgängers? Are there more than just Katherine and Elena? Damon needs answers and he knows that once he answers her question, this Caroline is gone. So, he makes a little gamble.

"If you're really Caroline from the future, shouldn't you be protecting the time line? Why are you telling me something I shouldn't know, yet?"

"Because this time line has no affect on mine. No matter what happens here, I go home to same present that I left," Caroline says and raises her eyebrows expectantly. "That's two questions I've answered, now. And, you're still at zero. Makes me think I'm not going to like your answer."

Damon considers this new information for a moment before continuing. "Doesn't matter. The real Caroline would still care about Elena. No matter what time line she resides in."

"What are you getting at, Damon?"

"Tell me everything I need to know to keep Elena safe," Damond demands and watches her for a response.

Caroline sighs in annoyance and rolls her eyes. Of course, Damon wants to protect Elena. That's what he does best. At least that never changes. He'd do anything for Elena. Anything.

"Okay, Damon. I'll tell you," Caroline says with a wicked smile. "But, you have to help me find the girls."

Damon considers her offer with a stern expression. He already has his hands full with a werewolf and Katherine. Well, actually Katherine is Stefan's problem, now. And, if this Caroline is telling the truth, her knowledge could help Damon protect Elena. Given enough time and groveling, Elena may forgive him. For killing her brother.

Not likely. Damon admits to himself. But, that doesn't mean I'll stop protecting her.

"Deal."

"Great, now tell me if you've seen anything suspicious."

"Sorry. Other than your flashy entrance, I've got nothing," Damon admits and Caroline sighs in frustration.

"That doesn't make any sense. I was right behind them."

"So, they entered the portal just before you did? Shouldn't I have seen them?"

"Maybe," Caroline mutters as she turns back to continue down the side walk. "Unless they didn't anchor the portal."

"So, they closed it? Maybe, they are in a different time and you're all alone here," Damon says as he walks beside her. "Vampire Barbie – Lost in time."

"It doesn't work that way," she chides. "Besides, I thought you didn't believe me."

"I don't. I think you're bat shit crazy," Damon admits with a smile. "But, you're the only one offering answers. Whether they prove true or not, we'll have to see."

Caroline smiles at the typical Damon response, glad to have him on her side. No matter how annoying he can be, Damon always seems to get things done.

"First things first, I need blood and then shelter. It's going to be dawn soon."

"Ahah!" Damon yells in triumph. "Caroline has a daylight ring, therefore you are not from the future."

"Do you really think I walked through the a time portal butt naked?" Caroline asks and Damon can't help himself.

"Honestly?"

"No, Damon. I did not. When you walk through a portal, everything in your possession is destroyed. Clothes, jewelry, hell even my skin was melted off this time. Time traveling is a bitch," Caroline explains.

"So, we're talking Terminator rules?"

"Really? God, you and Stefan both. You never change," she complains and Damon glances at her in confusion. "You've both said that before."


	3. Chapter 3

AN: Thanks for reading and leaving all the reviews! You guys are the reason I am updating so soon. I just couldn't leave you hanging. :)

"I need clothes," Caroline announces as she and Damon enters the boarding house.

"Check Stefan's room. Elena may have a couple of outfits tucked away for 'emergencies'," Damon says sarcastically as he heads straight for the living room and his stock of bourbon.

"Stefan's room?" Caroline repeats in surprise and catching the bitter look on Damon's face, she quickly realizes the truth.

"Right, Stefan and Elena are still dating," she whispers to herself as she heads up stairs, but Damon's vampiric hearing picks up her soft voice easily.

Damon makes a mental note to revisit the topic after the blonde fills him in on more important issues. The tale of his baby brother's epic romance with Elena Gilbert is not one he wants to hear, right now. Maybe, ever. Being told definitively that Elena fulfills her promise to never forgive him for his massively stupid mistake of killing her brother, albeit temporary, is not something Damon ever wants to experience. He certainly doesn't want the perfect life between Stefan and Elena recanted to him in the vivid details Caroline Forbes is sure to provide. Assuming this is, in fact, Caroline Forbes from the future.

Which it most certainly is NOT, Damon reminds himself.

Damon pours a much needed glass of bourbon while Caroline grabs clothes and a blood bag. He watches the amber liquid swirl and considers everything the blonde told him during their trek home. Basically, nothing. This Caroline isn't shy about withholding information, especially about the "future". He frowns and gulps down his glass. Slamming down the empty crystal, Damon pours another three fingers as Caroline joins him in the living room.

"So, do you believe me, yet?" She asks, sipping on her blood bag. She tilts her head to listen for other occupants for a moment, then continues when she's satisfied that they are alone. "Where's Stefan and Elena?"

"Shouldn't you know that? Being from the 'future' and all," Damon retorts with air quotes.

"I don't know everything, Damon. Just what I remember."

"What do you remember?"

"I remember Katherine scaring the shit out of me every chance she got," Caroline admits and sits on the large sofa. She drinks from her blood bag before muttering. "I was so happy when we managed to trap her in the tomb, however short lived that was."

"The tomb? The tomb isn't sealed anymore. How would we trap her in there?" Damon asks before sipping from his bourbon. He has to admit the idea of trapping Katherine in the tomb where she was supposed have spent the last 145 years is really appealing.

"Bennet magic," she answers with a small smile as she recollects the glory days with one of her oldest friends. "But, that doesn't matter. I need to focus on finding the girls."

"No, what you need to do is tell me what you know about Katherine, the doppelgängers, werewolves, this Klaus guy, and anyone else who might pose a threat to Elena."

"Elena is going to be fine, Damon," Caroline assures him. "We all pull together and we keep her safe. For the most part."

"What does that mean?" Damon asks setting his glass down forcibly.

"It means…" Caroline pauses to place her empty blood bag on the end table and watch Damon. The anger masking his concern reminds her that this Damon is much less stable than the one she's used to dealing with. How would he react to hearing that Elena dies in less than year? But, not dead-dead. Just turned. It's been too long since Caroline has had to deal with angst-Damon and she can't really judge what's going to send him into phsycho-killer-murder-spree Damon or over-protective-controlling-dick Damon. Neither option seems pleasant.

Besides, the more Caroline reveals, the more things will change in this timeline. That can be problematic for several reasons. "It means that things happen the way they are supposed to."

"That's not good enough," Damon growls, blurring to stand over Caroline on the couch. He glares down at her intimidatingly, making his threat clear. But, the blonde huffs and rolls her eyes at his posturing, unfazed. She stands up and casually walks over to the large window as though the elder Salvatore had merely suggested a white wine with her blood bag.

Damon frowns at her lack of reaction. The Caroline he knows would be cowering and spewing as many words as possible, but he can't seem to get this one to say more than one phrase at a time. When she slowly turns back to face him, Damon can see the renewed determination in her expression. He doesn't recall every seeing this hardness in her eyes or steel in her voice.

"I need to find my girls, Damon."

"Your girls?"

"Yes, my girls. Jo and Lizzie are my twin daughters," Caroline explains and Damon's eyebrows shoot up I surprise.

"Well, now I know you're crazy, since vampires can't procreate," Damon muses as he shuffles back to the liquor cabinet.

"Not biologically, of course," she admonishes. "But, we adopted them when they were less than a year old. And, we've raised them as our own since."

"We?" He pauses mid pour, dreading her answer. I better now be apart of that 'we'. I will kill this crazy bitch right now, if she says I'm part of 'we'.

"My husband and I."

"Who the hell would marry you?"

"Stefan!" Caroline calls as the younger Salvatore suddenly enters through the large font door. Damon looks up from his drink and nods an acknowledgement at his younger brother.

"Caroline, what are you doing here?" Stefan asks, surprise to see the baby vampire socializing with her sire. She's made it clear that she doesn't enjoy his company in the slightest, since he treated her so poorly when she was human. While Damon's treatment of Caroline has only improved to the point where he mostly ignores her, it's better than actively trying to kill her.

"Oh, I was just…" Caroline shifts uncomfortably, trying to think of a reason to be there. "Visiting with Damon. He decided to apologize for all the terrible things he did to me."

Damon's eyes narrow angrily and he slowly turns his gaze from Stefan to Caroline. He stares, speechless, at her audacity as his anger builds. Damon Salvatore does not apologize!

"Yeah right," Caroline chuckles and Stefan snickers at the joke. "I just came to pilfer your supply of blood bags."

She motions to the empty bag on the coffee table and Stefan frowns. "I didn't realize you were off the animal diet. Are you doing okay?"

"She's fine," Damon interrupts. "Where have you been Stefan? Did you make up with your girl friend after your little tiff at the Grill?"

"It's rude to eavesdrop, Damon," Stefan admonish half-heartedly. "But, if you must know. Elena and I are on a break thanks to Katherine's drama."

"Right…" Caroline whispers to herself as she remembers the faux break up for her benefit.

"What was that?" Damon asks pointedly, but Caroline shakes her head with a dismissive smile when Stefan glances at her.

"Well, I'm going to change and then head out for a hunt," Stefan explains as he turns toward his room after motioning toward the empty blood bags. "I'd invite you along, but it looks like you're all set."

"Yeah, I'm good. Thank you," Caroline answers with a genuine smile. Stefan returns a grin and shuffles upstairs. A few minutes later, they hear him exit through his balcony.

"What was that?" Damon asks.

"It's better if no one else knows I'm here."

"Why? You said what happens here has no affect on your time line, so why do you care if things change?" Damon asks, talking a sip from his bourbon.

"This isn't my first rodeo, Damon," Caroline growls. "I've done this before. And, my only advantage is that I know how this story progresses. If I reveal too much or instigate changes, I lose that edge. I can't predict what will happen or how new events will affect this timeline. I like my life and how everything turns out. I'd hate for the me in this timeline to miss out on all the wonderful things I've gotten to experience."

"What about the bad things, blondie?" Damon argues as he sets his glass down. "You can't tell me the future is all rainbows and unicorns."

"Of course, not," she admits.

"Why not help prevent the bad stuff?" Damon offers and rushes across the room to grab her arm gently. "Like your mom."

"How do you know about my mom?" Caroline asks, surprised by the sudden change.

"I saw your reaction to seeing her in the park. It was like you were seeing her for the first time in ages. Which tells me she's been dead a while."

Caroline stares at Damon. She shouldn't be so surprised by his perceptiveness. Damon's always been quick to notice the little details that pull together a completed picture. She even considers his offer for just an instant.

"No, I can't. There's nothing either of us can do to save my mom," she finally answers solemnly.

"Then, what good are you, Caroline?" Damon exclaims, clearly frustrated. "What's the point of traveling to the past if not to change it? What, did you just wake up this morning and decide to create a time portal to 2010 with the sole purpose of irritating the hell out of me? If so, mission accomplished."

"I didn't decide to time travel. It just happened."

"I'm sorry. What?" He asks incredulously, gripping his forehead with one hand as though it could help him process her statement. Caroline groans, but returns to the plump couch cushions, resigned to explain how her trip to 2010 occurred.

"I was at the boarding house finalizing the finishing touches on the wedding. And, they looked gorgeous! I mean, I had spent the last three months making sure every details was perfect for Bobby and Gina. Because, you know, Bobby had worked so hard to master his magic and he was doing a great job leading the Bennet coven, I feel like he deserves the perfect a wedding. And, it's the least I can do since he," Caroline pauses abruptly when Damon interrupts.

"I don't care about your social life. Get to the good part, Barbie"

"Right, sorry," she concedes. "Anyway, I finished up and stepped outside to find my dear children opening a time portal. I have no idea what possessed them to do such a monumentally stupid thing! Last time, they nearly died trying to close it."

"So, wait. How many times have you time traveled?" Damon asks, pouring himself another glass. He pauses and then add as an after thought. "Assuming any of this is true."

"A few times," Caroline answers with an amused smile. "When the girls realized they were powerful enough to do it, they got a little carried away at first. Of course, Hope likes to get them all riled up, so that doesn't help."

"And, who is this Hope?"

"Hope is Klaus' daughter and the most powerful witch in the world. The only witches that come close to her power are Jo and Lizzie. Together, I think they can rival Hope's strength, but I don't care to test that theory."

"There's that name, again," Damon says in a sing song voice, swinging his glass from side to side. "Yet, you haven't explained why he's so dangerous."

"Long story short: he's a twelve hundred year old werewolf-vampire hybrid," Caroline answers, tugging Damon's glass from his grasp and finishing it off. Surprised by her answer, Damon doesn't flinch when she steals his drink and returns the empty glass. Taking it from her extended hand, he nods silently and returns for more liquor.

"That's…unexpected," Damon mumbles.

"Trust me, it just gets weirder from there," she continues. "I can't be sure because it happened so fast, but I think I saw Klaus enter the portal as I was exiting the house. The portal was at least half way down the drive way in the middle of the yard and, at first, I only of noticed it out of the corner of my eye. By the time I realized what was going on, Hope had slipped through and then the girls saw me coming. The way they spoke to me…They aren't themselves, Damon."

"So, I take it, killing them isn't an option."

"Absolutely not," Caroline says sternly as though she expected the question. "Besides, I doubt you could if you wanted to."

"Excuse me?" Damon asks, slightly insulted as he sips from a fresh glass.

"What part of 'the strongest witches in the world' did you not understand?"

Damon just shrugs, unimpressed, and Caroline shakes her head at his antics. "Besides, if Klaus is here, you don't want to be anywhere near him. He really dislikes you."

"What's new?" Damon says, toasting his glass to her. "So, what you just chased after them? How come I didn't see anyone but you at the park?"

"They did something to the portal. They must have rigged it to move after I entered," Caroline says. "I've never seen portal that wan't anchored to one spot. I wonder where they moved it to?"

"How do you know they didn't just close it?" Damon asks, taking a seat across from the blonde.

"The only way to close a portal is to destroy the focus that powers it. And, they wouldn't do that because once a portal is closed it can never be reopened. At least, we haven't found a way to reopen one."

"You just said, you've seen several portals."

"Different portals to different times," she explains.

"So, why are your Village of the Damned children traveling through time? You think they're just visiting grandma. Or, maybe they wanted to see how Mommy met Daddy? Will they be waiting long?" Damon says sarcastically with hand flourishes to complete is sardonic message.

"I don't know, but it's nothing good. Not with how they were acting next to the portal. Especially, if Hope and Klaus are involved."


	4. Chapter 4

AN: Thanks for the reviews! You're questions and suggestions really help me focus on what to reveal next. Those of you eager for some Delena or Stelena, don't worry. It's coming and it'll be well worth the wait. ;)

Imarifirst: Your reviews reminded me to explain certain aspects regarding the twins and Caroline's decision to not save her mother, but it won't be in this chapter. Rest assured you will get your answers soon.

amazing Aisha: This chapter should answer at least one of your questions, but more Damon and others (hint, hint) will learn more as the story continues.

Guest: I'm glad you're enjoying my story. I'm really surprised how much I'm enjoying writing it.

Cuttiepattotie: Thanks for the praise. I also enjoy a goof future Caroline story.

Damon drives through town with an amused smirk resting on his lips. The early morning light flickers across his blue eyes and he squints to protect against the glare. He has to admit, he almost believes the crazy blonde currently hiding out at the boarding house. She was pissed when he left her alone in the giant house. Apparently, his trip through town is diverging from the original timeline. But, hey, if Caroline isn't willing to dish, he doesn't have to play her game. Sure, his original plans for the day had involved stalking Mason Lockwood some more and eventually killing the werewolf because, well…what else would he do with a creature that could kill him with one bite?

He knows the volunteer picnic, founding families' fundraiser, Mystic Falls event of the week, or whatever it's called, would be the best way to keep an eye on Fido and, apparently, that's where Damon is supposed to be, right now. Big things will happen at the picnic and he's a major player, according to 'future' Caroline. But, she refused to tell him more than that, so what's a man to do? Naturally, he told her to shove it. She did not like that at all.

Damon snickers at the amount of cursing and the vivid imagery Caroline used to insult him. She was mid-rant and gearing up for what Damon considered a truly epic tirade when their favorite Sheriff called. That shut her up real quick. Apparently, someone went on a killing spree at Mrs. Flower's B & B and his services are needed. Which means Sheriff Forbes thinks it's vampire related. Naturally, Caroline expressed concern because this particular killing spree never happened in her timeline. At least, as far as she can remember. Which, let's face it, there's no way Damon Salvatore is relying on Caroline Forbes to remember anything not directly related to her and her latest man obsession. Now, if he ever needs to know the exact time and date Brangelina call it quits, she'll be the first person he calls. And, he said as much before leaving her trapped in his house without a daylight ring.

Her requests for him to call Bonnie for a new daylight ring fell on deaf ears, since the teenage which hates Damon with the fury of hell. Interestingly enough, Caroline seemed surprised by this information and then laughed. Again, it seems she'd forgotten that tidbit of information. Damon huffs as he tries to remember a time when things were simple and he spent his eternity partying and killing. Surprisingly, he realizes that he doesn't miss the cold emptiness of those days. With his humanity switch off, life was simple, but empty. Now, things were complicated and messy, but full. Stefan actually speaks to him in a semi civil manner, Alaric is turning out to be an entertaining drinking buddy, and he honestly considers Liz Forbes a friend.

And, then there's Elena. Just the thought of her puts a goofy grin on his face. Even when she's mad and refuses to speak to him, except for a few insults, Elena makes hims feel real. She cares for him, whether she ever admits it or not. She considers him a real person with feelings and expects more from him than his typical murderous behavior. At least, she did before Damon killed her brother. Obviously, there's no way he's ever going to live up to those expectations, but it's that someone thinks he's capable of being more. But, hopefully, given time maybe he can win her friendship back. Honestly, that's what he should be doing, right now. He should be trying to find a way to convince Elena to forgive him. Or, at least killing Mason Lockwood.

Unfortunately, the 'future' Caroline decided to drop into his world and fuck everything up. Now, he's racking his brain trying decide if the crazy blonde in his house is lying or not. Rational thought says that she is a big, fat, blonde liar. But, this is Mystic Falls, home of vampires, witches, werewolves and doppelgängers. Why not time travel?

Maybe, she's for real, Damon admits silently as he pulls into the driveway of the B&B. He follows the curved drive around to the back of the building as Sheriff Forbes had requested when she called. He's surprised to find a dozen dead bodies strewn throughout the backyard patio. The Sheriff crouches in the center with an open notepad, examining one of the unfortunate victims.

For a moment, he feels bad for Liz. These people, like all the victims in Mystic Falls, were her responsibility to protect and a she's known most of them all her life. What's worse is that she has not idea that her handsome and debonair friend and vampire hunter, is also one of the worst murderers Mystic Falls has every seen. Oh, and he's a vampire. Damon moves to exit his car when Sherif Forbes waves at him, but suddenly stops when his eyes land on two witnesses being interviewed by one of the other police offers.

No way, Damon mutters to himself. Not possible.

But, there they stand speaking nonchalantly to the police officer as though they were just innocent bystanders. They look just as Caroline described them: mid-twenties, black hair, blue eyes, average height. One twin has her long hair pulled back into a pony tail, but Damon can still spot a few deep red highlights that identify her as Jo. Lizzie's long, wavy hair, highlighted blue, lies across her shoulders. Apparently, the odd colors are part of the latest fade in the future.

Damon decides to watch the girls and listen in on the conversation before joining Sheriff Forbes. He stares at them from his car and focuses on them until his sensitive hearing picks up their voices.

"So, you have no idea where she is?" Jo asks impatiently.

"Ma'am, I've never heard of her, but I do need to get a statement from you. Can you please describe to me the incident?" The cop asks patiently. This isn't the first time he's had to interview compelled victims and witnesses, so he's used to odd behavior.

"Of course, he doesn't know anything. He's not in charge," Lizzie says in a condescending tone, causing Jo to roll her eyes.

"Tell us who's in charge."

"Look, I'm more than happy to assist you in your search, but first I need to know what happened here," he insists, but Jo lifts one hand as though mimicking a puppet. With a flick of her fingers, the officer's mouth snaps shut and he stares at her in surprise.

"Let's try that again," Jo says with a wicked smile. "Who's in charge here?"

The police officer lifts a hand to point at Sheriff Forbes, who immediately notices his odd behavior.

"Can I help you?" She calls to the girls as she steps closer. They meet her half way, leaving the police officer standing alone with his mouth still sealed shut. Whatever the witch has done to him, prevents the officer from moving.

"I don't know. Can you?" Jo asks with a smirk. "We're looking for someone. A vampire, actually. Judging by the vervain swimming through the veins of every officer here, you're doing the same."

"We just want to help," Lizzie adds in faux innocent voice as she peers up at Sheriff Forbes with her big blue eyes. Damon doesn't believe her for an instant and neither does Liz. She immediately shifts a hand to her gun, but Jo is quicker.

"Now, now. Let's not be hasty," the red streaked twin says as she flicks her hand, again. The officer she originally spoke with jerks around to face them with his gun drawn and pointed at Liz. Damon notices that the remaining handful of officers all following suit. In total, he counts four guns aimed at his friend, so Damon figures it's time to introduce himself.

The girls immediately notice when he climbs out of the car, although Lizzie is the only one to glance back at him. Recognizing elder Salvator brother, her eyes widen in surprise and she elbows her sister. Jo turns her head enough to see Damon strolling nonchalantly past an officer struggling against the invisible threads holding him in place. He makes a point to smile at Sherif Forbes real big as though nothing odd, magical, or life threatening has occurred.

"Hey, Liz. How's it going? Making friends? What have I always said about playing with witches?"

"Witches?" Liz repeats, watching the twins for a reaction to the accusation, but they merely stare at Damon suspiciously.

"What are you doing here, Uncle Damon?" Lizzie asks with an annoyed frown. Damon pauses at the question. Or, more specifically the title 'Uncle'.

Why the hell would Caroline's kids call me 'Uncle'? There is no way that Vampire Barbie and I are actually friends in the future. Certainly not close enough for her children to call me 'Uncle'.

Damon tilts his head, feinting confusion. "I'm sorry, what?"

"What are you doing here?"

"I heard you two were looking for someone, so I thought I'd offer my services," Damon says with a shrug.

"Why?" Jo asks suspiciously, but Damon notices something odd about the tone of her voice. Something isn't right, but he can't quiet put his finger on it.

"Well, first because I'd rather you not kill my favorite Sheriff," Damon answers as he waves his arms around to emphasize their current situation. "Is this really necessary?"

"Yes," Lizzie answers simply. Again, a nagging feeling tugs at Damon. Something is definitely off with both twins. They're very calm, too calm for women their age in this situation. But, maybe that's due to their strength as witches. Hell, if Damon had the power Caroline claims these girls posses, he'd wouldn't be frightened of anything either. Not that he's scared of anything, now. Certainly not the adopted offspring of Caroline Forbes.

"I'd also like to get you and your sister out of my town as quickly as possible. If that means helping you accomplish whatever it is that you came her to do, I'm game. So, just tell me who it is you're looking for and I'll gladly deliver them to you in a doggy bag."

The girls glance at each and before smiling wickedly. "We're looking for Katherine Pearce."

"Great," Damon exclaims, sweeping his arms wide. "I've been trying to get rid of her since she showed up. She's like a bad, slutty, penny."

"You know her?" Lizzie asks in a surprise that doesn't quiet reach her eyes. Apparently, that wasn't the response they expected from their 'Uncle'. Watching their expressions closely, Damon finally realizes what's bother him about the girls. Their emotional responses are dull and listless. It's like they are mimicking the tone and expressions that are expected of them, but they're not real. It's like they flipped their humanity switches, but witches can't do that. Can they? No way. Damon would have heard about it. Of course, he thought the same thing about werewolves just a few days ago. And, time travel.

Shit, I'm actually starting to believe this time travel crap.

"Unfortunately," Damon admits with a bitter smile.

"She's a doppelgänger like Elena," Jo says in an oddly accusatory tone that confuses Damon. Liz, who has watched the exchange silently without moving for fear of triggering a response from the tiring officers all around, frowns at the mention of one of her daughter's best friends.

"Yes…" Damon murmurs, prompting more from the twin witches.

"Did you meet her before your met Elena?" Lizzie asks and Damon picks up a flicker of genuine curiosity, before it's quickly snuffed out.

"It doesn't matter," Jo interrupts. "We want Katherine Pearce dead. She surprised us during our first attempt."

Jo motions to the dozen dead bodies lying all around. Damon notices that the majority of the victims were killed by broken necks, but one or two had their throats ripped out. Three have obvious bite marks on exposed shoulders and backs, but they all seem old and partially healed.

"We intended to take Katherine down quickly, but the moment she identified us as threats, everyone inside and around the building surged toward us. They couldn't hurt us, of course."

"Cannon fodder, so should could escape," Damon mutters, more annoyed at Katherine's wily ways than concerned for the victims. They were already dead, what did they need his sympathy for?

"Yes," Lizzie confirms. "Next time, we won't underestimate her."

"Right. I tell you what, you let the Sheriff and her deputies go, and I'll be glad to track her down for you," Damon offers. "I'm certain she hasn't gone far."

"No," Jo says firmly, much to Damon's irritation. "We didn't tell you this, so you'd help us."

"We told you, so you'd stay out of our way," Lizzie finishes.

"The creepy twin talk is not flattering."

"Tell mother to go home and stay out of our way," Jo commands and waves one hand into the air. All but one officer drops to the ground, unconscious. The last remaining deputy stands at Sheriff Forbes' back still aiming his gun at her. "Or, next time the Sheriff won't walk away."

The instant before the gun fires, Damon reacts. He grabs Liz and blurs away from the threatening ballistic, but not fast enough. The wooden bullet strikes Damon in the back, but he keeps moving. When he reaches the tree line leading into the surrounding woods, Damon stops, collapsing against a tree.

Liz sputters from the sudden movement. One second, she's standing next to Damon listening to him chat up a couple of witches that referred to him as 'Uncle'. The next, she's standing in the forest with the noise from a gunshot ringing in her ears and Damon writhing on the ground next to a tree. Everything in between is a blur, but she's certain Damon Salvatore just saved her life using vampiric abilities. She pulls her gun and aims at Damon.

"You're a vampire!"


	5. Chapter 5

AN: So sorry for the wait, you guys! I've been traveling for work all week and haven't had a chance to write. But, I'm hoping to make it up to you with this long chapter. And, I'm hoping to update again tomorrow! :)

I know my faithful Delena fans are getting impatient for some Elena and Damon action, but we are still a few chapters away from anything juicy. I promise it will be well worth the wait! Thanks again for all your reviews. You guys are keeping me motivated and inspiring me to keep writing. Please don't stop.

* * *

Satiating his thirst, at least as much as possible given his diet and predisposition, Stefan releases the deer and watches it scamper away into the dark woods. Wiping is mouth, he turns toward the boarding house and walks slowly through quiet night. He enjoys this time alone, surrounded by nature. It always amazes him how much life can be heard if you're quiet enough to listen. Half way home, he hears Caroline stalking through the woods and mumbling to herself. Curious, he stealthily follows after her.

"Come one, Caroline," she scolds herself. "Get a back bone. You can't let her push you around like this. You are Caroline Forbes and she's just a…a five hundred year old vampire that killed you."

The blonde stops mid-step and huffs. "I'm going to hell. I'm the worst friend in the world."

Stefan frowns at Caroline's obvious struggles as he watches her from behind a nearby tree. He's been angry that Caroline would betray him and Elena by spying on them for Katherine. Especially after he'd helped her cope with becoming a vampire. He'd found her self-awareness regarding her personality flaws charming. And, she'd shown remarkable control over her hunger, despite her slip up with Matt. He'd had high hopes for her until they'd realized she had thrown in with Katherine.

"No, stay focused, Caroline," she continues to berate herself with a renewed sense of determination. "You're doing this for Matt. Now, shut up, track down a couple of bunnies, and get to bed. Tomorrow, uh, scratch that. In a few hours, you will go to school and pretend to be human and like everything is normal. Like you're not betraying your best friend since practically birth."

Matt? Didn't they break up? What's he got to do with anything? And, why is she hunting for bunnies? Stefan wonders quietly as he remembers her announcement regarding the blood bags at the boarding house just a couple of hours ago.

"God! Where are all the rabbits in this forest? I'm practically decicating over here," Caroline whines as she stumbles through the brush. "Killing innocent little bunnies. Yep, I'm definitely going to hell."

"I thought I explained the art of silence when stalking prey?" Stefan says, finally deciding to step from around the tree and get some answers. Caroline immediately spins to face him with a horrified expression.

"Stefan! What are you doing here?"

His expression twists in confusion at her questions. "I'm hunting. What are you doing?"

"Oh, of course you are," Caroline admits with a frustrated sigh and a shakes of her head at the obvious answer. "It's been a long night."

"I can see that. Are you okay?" He asks, more curious than concerned, and steps closer to offer a reassuring hand on her shoulder.

"I'm just hungry. I should've already fed and been in bed by now, but Damon's escapade in the park earlier screwed up my whole night. My mom's in extra protective mode, now. I had to wait until she fell asleep before I could sneak out of the house."

"What are talking about?" Stefan asks, confused. He'd just spoken to her at the boarding house a couple of hours ago. She'd indicated that she'd just fed on a blood bag. Why is she lying? Has she forgotten that they'd already spoken tonight?

"Your brother decided to drain two of my classmates in the middle of the park, tonight. I had to lie to my mom for damage control. She's convinced there's another dangerous vampire roaming around targeting high school girls. And, she's not wrong. I swear Damon has lost his mind. It's like he wants to get caught!"

"Is that what you guys where talking about his evening?"

"Well, no. My mom doesn't ever say vampire or anything because she still thinks I'm an innocent human with no idea that this town is overridden with vampires. She just lectured me about the dangers of staying out late and speaking to people I've never met. I swear she treats me like a four year," Caroline stops suddenly when Stefan interrupts.

"I meant you and Damon."

"What about me and Damon?" She asks, confused by the sudden change in topic.

"Were you talking about the attack in the park?"

"With Damon? No, he took off without really saying anything."

"At the boarding house. Is that what you guys were talking about earlier?"

Caroline frowns at Stefan in confusion and shakes her head. "I don't know what you're talking about, Stefan. I haven't been to the boarding house today and I've barely spoken two words to Damon. You know I don't spend any more time with him than I have to."

"Caroline, I saw you. We spoke. If if wasn't you, then who ever she is does a great impersonation of you."

"Ewww! Damon's got a new skank that looks like me. That's not creepy at all," Caroline says with a grossed out expression. Stefan can't help but chuckle at her comment. He quickly sobers up as he considers the implications of the fake Caroline managing to fool him. He should have known something was amiss when she was hanging out with Damon of all people, not to mention the blood bag.

But, why would anyone impersonate Caroline? And, how did they do it so well? Magic maybe? Did Damon know he was speaking with a fake? Katherine managed to fool him when she first arrived, why not this new Caroline?

A bing from his phone interrupts his thoughts and he quickly tugs it from his pocket. It's a message from Elena. Can you come over? Bonnie is here. Something's up.

He taps out a quick reply, assuring her that he'd be right over, and bids farewell to the real Caroline. As he vamp speeds to Elena's house, he wonders about the fake Caroline. He'd only spoken to her for a moment, but he truly thought she was Caroline. She'd certainly looked like her, even spoken like her. It's possible that the fake Caroline is a doppelgänger of the real Caroline, or maybe it's vice versa. Elena is doppelgänger of Katherine, right? Which is weird all in itself, but it's obvious to anyone paying attention that they have absolutely nothing in common except their looks. He wonders if it's the same with Caroline's doppelgänger? And, how is it possible that another doppelgänger is in Mystic Falls when he and Damon have never heard of them before now. Of course, they'd never met a werewolf until yesterday, either. How did Mystic Falls become the center of everything weird?

When Stefan finally reaches Elena's porch, he pushes aside all the questions bouncing around his brain and makes a mental note to catch up with Damon at his first chance. Stefan has a feeling that his big brother knows something. He always does.

Opting to sneak in through Elena's window rather than risk waking Jenna and Jeremy, Stefan leaps onto the window ledge to find the open window waiting for him. Stepping insides, he finds an anxious Bonnie sitting on Elena's bed next to her.

"What's going on?" He asks.

Elena smiles upon seeing him and bites back the urge to go to him with a welcoming kiss. For their ruse to work, they have to pretend to be broken up in front of everyone, even Bonnie.

"We don't know," Elena admits as she rubs Bonnie's arms comfortingly. The witch leans against her, enjoying the warm embrace of one of her best friends. "Bonnie came over after you left earlier. She says something is going on, but doesn't know what it is."

"I don't understand," Stefan says, shaking his head.

"Neither do I, really," Bonnie tries to explain. "I just feel like something in the air is off, or maybe something in the atmosphere or ground. Everything just feels wrong and I've got this overwhelming urge to fix it."

"But, you don't know what it is you're supposed to fix?" Stefan asks, stepping closer.

"Not a clue."

"When did it start?"

"A few of hours ago. It was like a sledge hammer slammed into my stomach and the wind was mocked out of me."

"And, she has no idea what caused it," Elena adds.

"I don't know what to do about this. I don't even know what it means," Stefan confesses and then continues with a new thought. "Have you noticed anything else weird?"

Bonnie considers the question and shakes her head. As she opens her mouth to say 'no', she remembers her drive to Elena's house. "Actually, yeah. I almost forgot about it because it was so random. On my way over here, I say two people on the side walk heading toward the outskirts of town. I figured they were heading over to Mrs. Flowers' place, since I'd never seen them before."

"Mrs. Flowers?" Stefan asked.

"She has a bed and breakfast on the edge of town. The few tourists this town gets usually stay there," Elena explains with a small smile.

"Okay, so what was weird about them?"

"Nothing really," Bonnie continues. "They looked like normal women in their twenties. They were twins with dark hair, but looked normal."

"So, what made you think of them?" Elena asks.

"It's a feeling I got when I saw them. I mean it was only a second because I was driving, but, just for a moment, the ball in my stomach lurched and the weird feeling worsened. And, then it eased as soon as I looked away. I didn't even realize the correlation until I glanced at my rear view mirror and saw them, again. Immediately, the feeling worsened, again. So much so, I almost wrecked my car."

"That sounds awful, Bonnie. I'm so sorry this is happening to you," Elena whispers soothingly.

"I guess we need to find those girls," Stefan offers. "Maybe, they know what's happening."

"Well, I guess Mrs. Flowers' is the best place to start," Bonnie offers.

"Yeah, we can go together after school tomorrow," Elena says with a smile.

"You mean today," Stefan corrects as he motions toward the sunrise outside her window.

"Wow," she murmurs. "This has been a busy night. Okay, so we get some sleep, maybe skip school and then go check out the B & B."

"We have a test in geometry tomorrow," Bonnie argues. "We can't skip school."

"Fine, we'll go to school, but right after we go," Elena says sternly and Bonnie nods in agreement. "And, you'll stay with me tonight. I don't think you should be alone."

"Thanks," Bonnie says with a teary eyed smile. "You're the best, Elena."

"We'll figure this out, Bonnie," Stefan offers. Bonnie smiles tightly at him. It's obvious that she doesn't like nor trust him. He's a vampire and she's a witch. True friendship between them is impossible, but they would play nice for Elena.

Stefan leaves shortly after to let the girls sleep. He opts walk around town for a slow walk to the boarding house. He enjoys the night sounds of the small town and ponders all the excitement as of late. Katherine, Caroline's doppelgänger, Mason the werewolf, and now Bonnie's odd feelings toward the mystery twins. When did his life get this complicated? He remembers when not ripping someone's head off was his only goal for each day. Hell, even the days when he did rip someone's head off were much simpler than today. But, he didn't have Elena. She makes everything worth it. She makes him better like she makes everyone around her better. Even Damon. Stefan can't imagine his life without her, although he suspects one day he'll find out. They haven't talked about it, but he doubts she'll ever turn.

Honestly, he wouldn't wish this existence onto anyone. Even, if he could be with Elena forever. No, he'd made that mistake once with Damon. A hundred and fifty years of vampirism had changed his brother for the worse and Stefan can't imagine Elena enduring their curse or that long. If she did, how would it change her? Would she be like Katherine? Stefan loves Elena how she is now and he knows that he will love her forever, but he doesn't want her to be a vampire. He doesn't want her to be like Katherine.

A couple of hours later, Stefan enters the boarding house and it only takes him a moment to realize the massive house isn't empty. Who ever is in his room isn't being subtle about their presence.

Caroline rifles through Stefan's drawers hurriedly. She forgot how disorganized the man could be without her guidance. She shakes her head in amusement at all the dust covered nick knacks cluttering Stefan's room. He's always been a pack and always will be. He places so much importance on his memories of the past, but never forgets to cherish the present. It's one of the reasons she loves him. Of course, she'd love him more if he could arrange his room in some semblance of organized thought.

Seriously? Who puts their underwear in the same drawer as their shirts?

Caroline scoffs when she finds several valuable items hidden within his folded pants in his dresser. Sadly, neither item is what she's looking for. Huffing, she turns from the dresser and scans the room. At home, she'd worked out a system to keep Stefan's ever growing collection of memorabilia catalogued and displayed throughout the house instead of stuffed into their bedroom. Of course, the items regarding their memories together were displayed far more prominently. Hey, Caroline likes walking down memory lane sometimes, too.

Right now, Stefan's cluttered room reminds her of the beginning of their relationship when Elena was still a deep seated insecurity for Caroline. Elena's smell is every where, along with a few personal items like a toothbrush, some articles of clothing, and a bag. Honestly, Caroline isn't sure how to feel about this Stefan and Elena's relationship. He doesn't belong to her. Her Stefan is at home probably working with Bobby to find that damn portal. She hopes he's having better luck than she is searching for a burner phone.

I know he has a box of them hidden somewhere.

She opens his closet and pulls out a couple of boxes. After placing them on his bed, she searches through the boxes until she finds the mother load of burner phones. Snatching one, she turns it on to ensure it has a charge and smiles triumphantly.

"Did you find what you were looking for?"

Caroline whirls around to find Stefan leaning against the doorway with his arms crossed.

"Stefan," she breathes. "How did you…You surprised me."

Stefan watches with a guarded expression and tilts his heading in assessment before speaking. "I guess you weren't listening for my return. Which makes you a terrible snooper."

"I'm not snooping," Caroline balks as her cheeks flame and she drops her gaze to the boxes on his bed. "I was looking for a phone to borrow. Damon said you might have some burners."

"Hmmm," Stefan murmurs with a nod of his head and Caroline's warning bells sound. She knows that expression. The 'I know your lying' look was a common occurrence when the girls were teenagers, but rarely has she instigated it. She needs to tread carefully to keep him off her trail. If he finds out, everything in this timeline will change and it'll be that much harder to track down her kids.

"Why do you need a burner phone, Caroline?" Stefan asks, emphasizing her name. She plasters on a fake smile and tries to channel her high school persona.

"I lost my phone and I can't stand the idea of telling my mom. She already thinks I'm the most irresponsible teen in Mystic Falls. Never mind that I'm a straight 'A' student and lead organizer of every student event scheduled this year. But, whatever. She's already on my case about acting so weird since I turned, so I figured you guys might have some extra phones I can borrow until I can figure out how to get a replacement without alerting my mom."

Stefan listens to her explain away her need for the phone as he casually walks over to his balcony. The blinds are pulled shut and block out most of the sunlight. When Caroline finishes she watches him nod from across the room. He's up to something, but she can't quiet figure out what.

"So, Caroline," Stefan says, emphasizing hr name again. "Quick question. Where's your daylight ring?"

Caroline follows his glance to her naked hand and grimaces. How could she play this one off? In all the decades, hell centuries now, she'd never lost her daylight ring before stepping through a time portal. At least, not without someone stealing it or something.

"Damon stole it," Caroline blurts without thinking. "He's mad at me for…something."

"Really? That's what you're going with?" Stefan says with an incredulous smirk.

"Mmm, hm," Caroline murmurs, tight lipped as she avoids eye contact. Stefan stifles a chuckle at the horrible lie. Who ever this girl is, she plays Caroline perfectly. The real Caroline is a horrible liar. That's how Elena picked up on her obvious attempts to keep her away from the boarding house yesterday when Katherine was here. But, why would she lie in-character like this? Does she want him to know she's lying? Whatever this is, Stefan is done playing games.

Caroline grimaces at her terrible attempt to lie. She wonders if this Stefan knows her well enough to pick up on this trait. She's so focused on avoiding eye contact, Caroline almost misses Stefan's quick tug on the balcony drape. The blonde vampire isn't fast enough to avoid the beam of light that splits Stefan's room in half, but she wastes no time in retreating against the far wall. Unfortunately, her knee jerk reaction lands her on the opposite side of the door to her freedom.

"What are you doing, Stefan?" She hisses as her charred flesh quickly heals.

"I'm just looking for some answers, Caroline," he says. She growls and launches toward him, but he steps across the beam of light and drags open his side of the drape. Now, his half of the room is bathed in the morning sunlight while Caroline's half is still shadowed. She can't reach him without burning.

"Who are you?" Stefan demands an answer and Caroline complies with an aggravated growl.

"I'm Caroline."

Stefan tugs on the drape shielding Caroline from the sunlight. It slips open a bit farther reducing her shadowed protection quiet a bit. She steps back in alarm and flattens herself agains the bookcase.

"What are you doing?"

"Every time you lie, I'm going to pull this back a little more. Eventually, your lies are going to burn you. Literally."

"I'm not lying. I really am Caroline," she exclaims and Stefan immediately pulls on the drape, again. "Stefan, stop. Please!"

"I recently spoke with the real Caroline. I know you're not her. You're some kind of doppelgänger like Katherine," Stefan argues.

"Oh, my God! I am NOT a doppelgänger!"

"Then, who are you and why do you look like Caroline Forbes?"

"Because I AM Caroline Forbes!" She exclaims and sighs in a frustrated resignation. "At least, I used to be. I'm from the future, Stefan."


	6. Chapter 6

"Really? I just saved your life, so you pull a gun on me?" Damon growls between clenched teeth. He can feel the wooden bullet lodged in his left lung and he coughs as it fills with blood.

"You're a vampire!" Sheriff Forbes repeats as though that fact gives her license to kill him. And, everything she'd been taught growing up and witnessed as an adult on the council supported that reaction. She should point her gun at Damon's chest and pull the trigger. One wooden bulletin to the heart and Mystic Falls would be rid of one more vampire. She has a dozen reasons to kill him and one not to.

"I'm your friend, Liz."

Sheriff Forbes stares at Damon as he leans against the tree for support. He's obviously in pain from the gun shot. The gun shot that was aimed at her. By one of her own deputies. Because of those girls. Witches is what Damon called them.

"Who were those girls? How could they do that to my men?" Liz asks with her gun still aimed at Damon's chest. He watches her for moment, noticing the quiver in her arms and the indecision in her eyes. She's on the verge of making a choice and Damon has to make sure it's the right one.

"It's hard to think straight with a gun pointed at me," Damon mutters. "Why don't you put the gun down and we'll talk about this like non-homicidal people."

"I put this down and you kill me or the people of this town," Sheriff Forbes argues and he can hear the familiar steel in her voice. "How many of my friends have you already killed, Damon?"

"Uh, oh. I'm in trouble now. You've got your Sheriff voice on," Damon says with a painful smirk before coughing up a clotted glob of blood. He cringes when he feels the wooden bulletin pop out of his lung and into the muscles of his back. Just a bit longer.

"Don't play games with me. Answer the question. How many people have you killed in this town?"

"Less than the two Wonder Twins down there," Damon says, motioning in the direction of the B & B.

"Who are they?" She asks without taking her eyes off the vampire.

"I don't know, but the sound of a gun shot would lead them right to us," Damon lies and then offers a nugget of truth. "Judging by the puppet show they just put on with your deputies, they could easily kill us both."

"Then, why are we still alive?" Sheriff Forbes asks, unconsciously dropping her aim slightly. The instant Damon feels the wooden bullet dislodge from his back and fall to the ground, he lurches toward Liz and snatches her gun away. He pins her to a nearby tree and she yelps before his impossibly strong grip tightens around her neck.

"You're alive because I decided to hang around and dissuade those two bratty witches from killing you," Damon sneers. "And, what do I get for my trouble? A gun aimed at me. That's not very polite, Liz."

Unable to answer around his grip on her neck, Liz just glares back him and tries to hide her fear. Damon growls at her obstinate behavior before stepping back and releasing his hold on her. Liz rubs her throat gingerly, confused as to why Damon hasn't killed her, yet. He holds up the gun, twirling the trigger around his finger.

"I'm going to hold on to this until I can trust you not to do anything stupid," Damon says, then turns back toward the B & B. "Come on, let's go."

"What are you doing?" Liz asks as Damon starts walking away. "You're just going to let me go?"

Damon stops, chuckling at the suggestion, and looks at her over his shoulder. "Sorry Sheriff, no can do. You're coming with me to my car and then to the boarding house."

"And, why would I go anywhere with a vampire?" She spits angrily at his casual behavior. The venom in her tone makes Damon shift to face her completely. His playful smirk is gone, replaced by a nasty snarl and his dangerously icy blue gaze. Sheriff Forbes unconsciously steps away from the sudden Change in Damon's demeanor.

"I'm happy to drag you kicking and screaming if you prefer. Or, you can come willingly and perhaps get a few answers to all the questions you have bouncing around in that pretty little head of yours. Your choice, Liz."

Sheriff Forbes stares at Damon for moment to consider her options. She glances at the trees all around and considers making a run for it, but judging by the speed he's already exhibited, there's no way she can outrun Damon. She'll have to play along until she finds an opportunity to escape. Slowly, she nods at the vampire and he smiles crookedly.

"Good choice."

At first, they walk in silence, which gives Damon a chance to consider their current situation. Within minutes of meeting them, the Wonder Twins managed to threaten one of Damon's only friends, outed him to said friend, and shot him. He really dislikes Caroline's kids. And, honestly, he blames the blonde for her children's terrible behavior. Parents are supposed to teach their kids manners and that killing people is bad. Very bad. Only bad people kill good people. Case in point, Damon. He enjoys killing people, good or bad. Thus, he's accepted his own wickedness. But, Caroline knows better. Her kids should also know better, but they didn't seem to care about the dozen lives cut short. In fact, they didn't seem to care about anything. Except killing Katherine. They definitely want the she-devil dead. And, that is the only good news so far.

"Why are we going back? You said the witches can kill you," Liz asks, finally breaking the silence.

"Because they are long gone. Attempting to kill you was a ploy to keep me distracted so they could leave without me following them," Damon explains as he shuffles around a large bush.

"Why did you save me? You know my deputies carry wooden bullets. That bullet could've easily ended up in your heart," Liz asks, watching his response out of the corner of her eye.

"I don't always think things through," he admits with a shrug. "Maybe, if I had, I would have let the witches kill you. Or, better yet, never interfered to begin with. I could have stayed in my car while they interrogated you. Probably would have gotten better intel."

Damon waggles his eyes brows teasingly at the Sheriff and she can't help the small smile on her lips. Typical Damon, pretending not to care, but she's seen him do more for this town than anyone else on the council. And, there lies the problem. He's a vampire on the council. How did that happen?

"You're on the council."

"Actually, I'm leading the council," Damon corrects smugly.

"Why? I've seen you kill other vampires."

"Because, they got in my way. And, their deaths served to garner trust from you and rest of the council. Let's face it. You guys suck at vampire hunting."

"Obviously, since we've had one living amongst us for months now," Liz growls at her own stupidity. It made sense, if only she'd paid attention. Stefan and Damon Salvatore had arrived at the same time as when all the killings started, causing the council to reform and eventually leading to Logan Fell's death. Twice.

"Why did you turn Logan Fell just to kill him later?" Liz asks, genuinely curious to understand Damon's reasoning.

"I only killed him once. When he shot Stefan," Damon explains nonchalantly. "I certainly didn't turn that douche-nozzle. And, I didn't kill him the second time, either. Although, I was planning to take his head off when he kidnapped Caroline. Picked out the perfect tire iron and everything."

"You said he overpowered you. That's how he escaped you that night," Liz says. "That was a lie, wasn't it?

"Yep, he suddenly proved useful alive, so I opted to postpone his execution. But, of course, someone else had to spoil my plans and kill Logan. I'm pretty is was Ric. I'll have to remember to ask, next time I see him."

"Ric?" Liz asks, unfamiliar with any of Damon's known accomplices with that name.

"The teacher, Alaric Sultzman."

"He's a vampire, too?" Liz asks and Damon laughs loudly at the absurd image of vampire Ric. Never in a million years would Alaric Sultzman turn vampire.

"No, not Ric. He hates vampires. He's Mystic Falls own Van Helsing. And, lucky for us, not the Hugh Jackman version that runs around in a loin clothe."

"But, he's your friend. I've seen you two handing out at the grill," Liz argues.

"I don't have any friends, Liz. You know that," Damon snaps over his shoulder as he pulls ahead of her. Sheriff Forbes frowns at the response. Didn't he just claim to be her friend? Or, was that a lie to convince her to drop the gun? If so, why is he going out of his way to save her from the witches and actively not killing her now.

"If you didn't turn Logan, who did?" Liz asks, getting back on track.

"Another vampire. Don't worry she's dead, now," Damon answers with a crooked smile as they finally break through the tree line. The B & B is just across a short open field.

"How many vampires are in town?"

"Right, now? I'd say…around five. That I know of," Damon answers honestly. "But, there's only one vampire you have to worry about and it seems the Wonder Twins are determined to solve that little problem for us."

"Katherine Pierce?"

"Yep, the wicked bitch of the South."

"What does she look like? I can send out a BOLO for her," Sheriff Forbes asks, pulling out her notepad and pin to take notes. Damon glances at her as they walk side by side through the field.

"She looks like Elena Gilbert," Damon answers.

"Like the same coloring, height, what?"

"Like from head to toe, she's Elena's exact duplicate. Her doppelgänger. Or, maybe the other way around since Katherine came first. Either way, don't bother with the BOLO. You don't want to get caught between those two powerful witches and a 500 year old vampire. That'd be like trying to stop Godzilla from fighting Mothra. Just let them at it and run for the hills."

"Yeah, and what about all the innocent people caught in the crossfire?"

"They yell 'Godzilla!' and run," Damon says, laughing.

"It's not funny, Damon. I'm supposed to protect the people of this town, instead I've been paling around with one of its terrorizers," the older blonde huffs. "I'm the worst Sheriff this town has every seen."

"You're not that bad. I personally think you're doing a great job given the circumstances."

"Says the vampire. It sounds like this town is overrun with vampires, doppelgängers , and now witches. Yeah, I'm doing just great."

"Don't forget about the werewolf," Damon adds as they finally reach the back yard of the B & B.

"Werewolf? Please tell me you're joking," Liz begs as she places her hand against her forehead and takes a deep breath.

"Nope. That one's a new one for me, too. I spent all day yesterday trying to figure out how to kill him," Damon admits as he walks to a nearby dead woman and examines the vampire bites on her shoulder.

"Did you figure it out?" Liz asks, watching him inspect the dead woman. "What are you doing?"

"I'm almost certain he'll die if I rip his heart, most everything will. And, I'm checking out these bite marks. They are on three of these victims, but they are partially healed," he explains motioning to three of the dozen victims lying around the back yard.

"Those three died of broken necks, not vampire bites."

"Right, so I'm betting Katherine was staying here and compelled these three to let her feed," Damon says.

"What about these two?" Sheriff Forbes asks pointing to two victims with their throats ripped out. "They didn't die of broken necks."

"Nope, a vampire got them. But, that doesn't really make any sense."

"What do you mean?"

"The witches said that all these people attacked them when Katherine recognized them as threats. They were obviously compelled to kamikaze any threats, so that Katherine could escape. As powerful as Jo and Lizzie are, they could've easily broken the necks of everyone here. But, those two were killed by a vampire. Katherine wouldn't have wasted time on them and she would've been fully feed by her donors. So, who killed these two?"

"You know, you would make a great detective," Liz says as she checks on her unconscious deputies.

"Are you offering me a job, Sheriff Forbes?"

"No," she snaps immediately. "No vampires on the police force. That's a pretty hard rule."

"That's discrimination, you know."

"So, sue me," she response with an eye roll and Damon smiles crookedly at her. Liz shakes her head at his antics, almost forgetting for moment that he's the enemy. But, he is the enemy. A vampire. She can't help but wonder how long he's been a one. Did he turn before joining the council or, like Logan Fell, was he a casualty in this supernatural war?

"How long have you been a vampire, Damon?"

"That's a rude question. I would never ask your age," Damon rebuffs the questions. He has no desire to relive his past with Liz Forbes, but her next question throws him for a loop.

"Why are you here in Mystic Falls?"

Damon turns toward his car as he searches for an answer. Why is he here? Why does he deal with all this chaotic trouble? He could leave, right now, and never look back. And, yet the thought never occurred to him. So, the answer is simple.

"Because I want to be here," he mumbles before motioning for her to follow him. "Besides, all my friends are here."

"You don't have any friends, Damon," Liz reminds him with a teasing smile before radioing in a couple ambulance or her fallen comrades.

"Exactly."

"So, it has nothing to do with Elena Gilbert and the fact that she's dating your little brother?" Liz asks sarcastically as they climb into his car. "Why am I coming with you instead of staying to clean up this mess?"

"Because, I need more information. And, I think you are the key to getting a certain blonde time traveler to talk," he answers and offers Liz her gun back. "You only get the back if you promise not to shoot me with it."

"Fine," she concedes and reaches for the weapon. He instantly pulls is back before she can touch it.

"Should we pinky swear on it?"

"I'm starting to reconsider."

He smirks before handing the gun back and Sheriff Forbes re-holsters it. Damon speeds around the bed and breakfast and pulls out onto the small town road. Liz wastes no time in returning to the conversation at hand.

"Time traveler?"

Before Damon can answer, his phone rings and sees Stefan's name scroll across the screen. Casting Liz an annoyed expression, he flips the phone open and greets his little brother with all the enthusiasm he can muster.

"What do you want? I'm busy."

"I want to know about the Caroline-look-alike in our house," Stefan answers.

"What about her?" Damon says with a shrug that Stefan can't see.

"I want to know who she is and why she looks like Caroline," Stefan says exasperated by his brother's nonchalance toward a very strange situation.

"Ask her. I've kind of got my own thing going on right now."

"She just keeps reciting this ridiculous lie about being from the future," the younger Salvatore complains. "No matter what I do, she won't tell the truth."

"What do you mean? What've you been doing to her?" Damon asks, an odd concern for the blonde creeping up into his chest.

"She's trapped in my room by sunlight. I've been using that to my advantage."

"Did you ever think she might be telling the truth?" Damon says and pushes the gas pedal to the floor.

"Damon, watch out!" Liz warns as she cringes in the passenger seat.

"Is Sheriff Forbes with you?" Stefan asks upon hearing her voice through the phone.

"Yep, and we're on our way to the boarding house, so you might want to put a hold on torturing her daughter until we get there."


	7. Chapter 7

Katherine sits neatly on the small chair next to Caroline's bed and calmly examines her perfectly manicured nails. At least, they were perfectly manicured before her run in with those two witches. She didn't catch their names before they went murderous and triggered the safety compulsion Katherine had set in every resident and worker of Mrs. Flower's B & B. Lucky thing, too. She's certain they would've killed her if given the chance. It takes a lot of juice to kill a vampire Katherine's age, so they must be powerful.

She smiles at the idea of slicing the throat of both witches with her single broken nail. It's the least she could do after they attempted to break every bone in her body. The pain from their initial attack was greater than anything she's ever felt. But, as much as she'd like her revenge, it usually takes witch to take down a witch. So, Katherine pulls out her phone and calls a witch that owes her one.

"Kat, how are you girl?"

"Oh, you know me. I like to stay entertained," Katherine smiles wickedly into the phone as she stands from the chair. She absentmindedly strolls around the empty room and traces her broken finger nail across Caroline's dresser, pressing hard enough to leave a deep scratch in the dark wood.

"Uh, huh. So, what kind of trouble have you gotten yourself into and need me to bail you out?"

"Lucy, are you accusing me of being the kind of friend that only calls when I need something from you?"

"Girl, you know I love you, but yes."

Katherine sniggers at the accusation as she shifts through Caroline's open closet. "You know me well."

"Catch me up," Lucy says from the other side of the phone.

"No, it's better if you come to me. This is going to take your full focus and presence," Katherine explains as she rips through a hanging dress with her broken nail.

"I can't, Kat."

Kathrine stops suddenly and tilts her head angrily. "What?"

"I would, if I could. You know that," Lucy rushes to explain. "But, something weird is going on in the witch community. I've been sent on a mission by my ancestors."

"As in, long dead ancestors?"

"Yeah, girl. I can't say no to them."

"You can't say no to me, either."

"I know. So, tell me what's going on and I'll make it right. I'm driving now, but I can at least brainstorm with you and maybe call in a favor from a one of my witch friends," Lucy almost begs.

"First, tell me about this mission that's keeping you from fulfilling your debt to me," Katherine demands in snarky tone as she shreds a pair of Caroline's skinny jeans.

"Uh, I'm not really supposed to," Lucy pauses, but quickly continues when Katherine growls through the phone. "But, of course I'll tell you girl. You know I love you."

Katherine smiles at Lucy's compliance and settles back into the empty chair leaving the shredded clothes lying in the floor for Caroline to find. At least, Lucy is still respectfully fearful of the five hundred year old vampire, as she should be.

"Something happened last night. Something big. It was big enough for every witch in the world to feel the ripples."

"Ripples?"

"Ripples in time, Kat."

"And, what does that mean?" Katherine prods with a sarcastic eye roll. Witches tend to take things far too seriously. But, damn it if they aren't useful.

"It means someone did something last night that's supposed to be impossible. And, it's impossible for a reason. Someone managed to break the timeline."

"What do you mean 'timeline'?" Katherine asks, suddenly interested. "As in the timing of a curse?"

"Not a timeline. The timeline. As in Time with a capital 'T'," Lucy tries to explain. "Someone opened a time travel portal."

"Time travel? As in someone traveled through time last night?"

"Exactly!" Lucy exclaims with relief that Katherine seems to understand the importance of her mission.

"Tell me about the time portal? Where, or when, does it go? Can anyone use it?"

"No," Lucy hesitates in her answer, sensing the vampire's evil interest. "It doesn't work that way, Kat. No one from this timeline can control it. Only those who came through it from the other timeline can."

"So, someone is here from the other side? Who? And, from when did they travel?" Katherine asks, moving from the chair to pace eagerly across the small bedroom.

"Yeah, someone is definitely here, but I don't know who or from when, yet. That's what I'm supposed to find out. Of course, this portal rips open in the middle of the smallest backwoods town in the South. So, off I go to fix this mess. I have to get these time travelers back through their portal and make sure it's zipped up tight before they step on too many butterflies."

"What town is it, Lucy?" Katherine asks with a suspicious frown and the answer makes her smile big.

"Oh, a tiny town in Virginia."

"I don't suppose your headed to Mystic Falls?"

"How did you know that?" Lucy asks, surprised.

"I guess you'll be able to keep both your promises. How far out are you?"

"Several hours still. I might make it before mid-night."

"Good, I'll be waiting. Now, let's talk about my problem."

"Okay, wait. Are you in Mystic Falls, right now? Do you know anything about this portal?" Lucy asks, irritating Katherine with her questions.

"Yes and no. I'm in Mystic Falls, but I have my own problems to worry about. So, let's focus on what's important. Got it, Lucy."

"Of course, girl," Lucy concedes with an audible sigh. "Tell me what you got."

"Well, my plans for Mystic Falls were progressing perfectly until a set of twin witches showed up on my door step and tried to murder me," Katherine explains with an angry growl.

"Twins? A boy and a girl with blond hair?" Lucy asks, thinking of the Gemini coven and their high school aged twins, Luke and Liv.

"No, two dark haired women. Looked to be in their twenties. And, they're powerful."

"Hmm."

"What are you thinking, Lucy?" Katherine asks as she stops pacing to dig through Caroline's jewelry box.

"If they're strong enough to scare a vampire your age, they'd be pretty well known. Especially, twins. Unless…"

"Unless what?" Katherine's prods, sneering at a ring with disgust and tossing it behind Caroline's dresser.

"I've heard rumors about a really old and powerful vampire that likes to collect witches," Lucy provides and Katherine freezes. "But, still. At their age, I'd probably at least have heard rumors about them."

"What about the time portal?" Katherine suggests as a Hail Mary. She'd much rather deal with time traveling witches than Klaus' witches. She's not ready for Klaus, yet. She needs to have the Moon Stone in hand first. If he's already sent these witches after her, then he won't be interested in bartering for her freedom because his witches will just round up all the ingredients for the spell after she's dead. Especially, since they are all conveniently availability in one small town, thanks to Katherine's manipulations. She really needs to call Mason. He should have that stone by now. Then, maybe she'll have some bargaining power.

"It's possible they are the time travelers," Lucy admits, drawing Katherine back to the conversation at hand. "But, they'd have to be immensely powerful to open the portal. And, if that's the case, I don't know what I can do to stop them from killing you."

"Why would time travelers want to kill me?" Katherine asks with a frustrated huff and picks up one of the stuffed animals propped on Caroline's bed.

"I don't know. Maybe, you do something in the future to piss them off."

"The future? How do you know they are from the future?"

"They have to be. The portals can only travel to points in time that have already existed. It can't create new points in time. Only time can do that," Lucy explains.

"You also said the time portals shouldn't exist," Katherine argues as she slowly rips a leg off a pretty white unicorn.

"True. Maybe, I'm just making this up as I go," Lucy says with a smile. "I suggest you lie low until I get there. I'd offer to make a ward to keep the twins from finding you, but I'm pretty sure you've got that covered."

"Of course, I do. You don't survive as long as I have without learning a few tricks," Katherine confirms and bids farewell before ending the call. She'd learned centuries before how to block locator spells. Of course, that didn't stop someone from blabbing her location to the twins. The question is: Who new her location and ratted her out?

Only one person knew where she was staying and that's Mason. But, he wouldn't rat her out. Would he? He loves her. He thinks she's working to free him of his werewolf curse. Why would he betray her? Katherine glances at the phone in her hand and considers calling the werewolf. If he betrayed her, surely he'd have skipped town by now. He'd know she'd never forgive him. But, if he's still in town, she doesn't want him to know she suspects his betrayal.

What to do, what to do. Katherine muses silently as she rips another leg off the innocent stuffed unicorn. Finally, she flips open the phone and calls someone else.

"Caroline," Katherine croons through the phone when the picks up.

On the other side of town, Elena, Bonnie, and Caroline exit the school building with books in hand along with the rest of Mystic High School's students. The afternoon sun blares over head and the wind tugs at each girl's long locks.

"Are you guys still coming to the Volunteer Picnic? My mom's already bailed, as expected," Caroline says. "Of course, she couldn't possibly take one day off and keep one promise, but whatever."

"No, we can't make it. Sorry," Elena responds shortly. She's still bothered by the fact that Carolina is reporting to Katherine. She's bothered and hurt.

"Elena!" Caroline whines and all three girls stop. Bonnie huffs at the typical Caroline behavior and stares grudgingly at the baby vampire. She's partially glad that Caroline still behaves like her normal self, but Bonnie is still conflicted with her friend's new vampire existence. How can she be friends with a murderer? Right now, Bonnie wonders how Caroline can be this annoying.

"You can't bail on me! Bonnie already hates me," she complains motioning to the short witch, who rolls her eyes. "I can't lose you, too! I need you. You're my only real friend left."

"Am I your friend, Caroline?" Elena asks and the blond has the grace to look guilty.

"Of course, you are, Elena. You're both my friends."

"And, you wouldn't do anything to betray me? Because you're my friend?" Elena asks pointedly. Caroline sighs in resignation and hugs her books closer as the rest of the student body rushes around them. Tears form in her eyes and with a sniffle, she finally confesses.

"I'm a horrible friend, okay! She threatened Matt and my mom! I didn't know what else to to do," Caroline cries. Bonnie and Elena immediately drag her to a nearby picnic table away from the fleeing students.

"What are you talking about?" Bonnie asks, but Elena watches silently with a concerned expression.

"Katherine. She showed up in my room the other night and threaten them. She demanded that I tell her everything and keep tabs on Elena and Stefan. I'm so sorry. I just didn't know what else to do."

Elena immediately rushes to wrap her arms around Caroline and Bonnie joins in.

"It's okay, Caroline," Elena whispers to her friend. "I should've known you wouldn't betray us unless you were protecting someone."

"You knew?" The blond asks between hiccups.

"Yeah, it was pretty obvious after the barbecue," Elena admits and then smiles teasingly. "You're a terrible liar."

"That's a good thing," Bonnie adds as all three girls giggle in their huddle of hugs. After a moment, they finally break apart and Caroline wipes her eyes. Bonnie watches the concern and gratefulness swirl in the vampire's eyes. That's when she decides that her friend is still here, vampire or not. "It's going to be okay, Caroline. We'll take down Katherine and we won't let her hurt any of our loved ones."

Caroline smiles big at her friend and nods happily. "So, are we going to the Volunteer Picnic?"

"No," Elena and Bonnie answer together.

"Why not?"

"Because we have to investigate Mrs. Flower's B & B. We're looking for some suspicious looking twins," Bonnie explains.

"Stefan is supposed to go with us, but I haven't heard from him," Elena adds after checking her phone.

"The bed and breakfast on the edge of town? Oh, that can't be good," Caroline mutters with wide eyes. "My mom got a call early this morning. She almost caught me sneaking back in from a late night hunt. That's why she's skipping the picnic. There were a bunch of people killed at the B & B."

"What? No!" Bonnie exclaims, horrified. What if she could have prevented all those deaths? If only she'd trusted her instincts and followed those women last night.

"Oh, no," Elena whispers, covering her mouth. "I have to call Stefan. Maybe, he knows something. Maybe, that's why he didn't come to class, today."

Before Elena can dial Stefan's number, Caroline's phone rings and she pales when she sees the number on the screen. "It's Katherine."

"Answer it, but don't mention anything important," Bonnie says, holding her friend's hand for support.

"Hello?"

"Caroline," Katherine's voice croons through the phone and the blonde flinches.

"What do you want?"

"I'm just checking in. I want to know if anything exciting is happening with Elena and Stefan."

"No, Stefan didn't come to school today. Elena's been moping about their breakup all day," Caroline says with a nervous glance at the brunette. It's true. Elena had made a point to seem sad and upset about her 'break-up' with Stefan.

"Hmmm," Katherine mumbles and Caroline frowns at the sounds of ripping on the other side of the line. "What else is happening? Anything exciting?"

"No, nothing."

"Caroline," Katherine's sing song voice makes the baby vampire crumble under the hidden threat.

"Okay, Bonnie said there's some freaky twins roaming around Mystic Falls."

Bonnie widens her eyes pointedly at Caroline for spilling the beans. She shrugs her shoulders imploringly, silently begging for the witch to forgive her. Elena places a comforting hand on Caroline's shoulder and she glances at the doppelgänger gratefully.

"What does the Bennet witch know about the twin witches?" Katherine asks.

"She didn't mention they were witches. What do you know about them?" Caroline says and both Elena and Bonnie step back in surprise at the new information.

"Just that they are powerful and murderous. If you see them, or hearing anything about them, you call me immediately. If I find out you're holding back any information about them, I'll rip out Matt Donovan's heart and make you eat it. Got it, Caroline?"

"Yeah…I got," she whispers back, on the brink of tears, again.

"Keep it together. I still need more information," Katherine admonishes the baby vampire as something else rips in the background.

"What else? I don't know anything," Caroline whines through tears and sniffles.

"Is Mason Lockwood still in town?"

"Tyler's uncle? I don't know. I haven't spoken to Tyler. We're not exactly friends."

"Well, make friends. I want to know that werewolf is up to," Katherine demands.

"Maybe, you should call Damon. He's the one obsessed with killing Mason," Caroline argues weakly.

"Don't worry about what I'm doing, Caroline. Worry about keeping your loved ones alive," Katherine mutters before hanging up. It takes Caroline a moment to catch Elena and Bonnie up on the conversation, but Elena immediately calls Stefan.


	8. Chapter 8

"So, you're hiding a vampire from the future at your house?" Sheriff Forbes asks as Damon his car onto the long driveway of the boarding house.

"Yep," Damon answers, popping the 'p'.

"And, that's just _normal_ for you."

Damon laughs and glances at his passenger with a wicked grin. "Nope, that's a new one for me. Just like the werewolves and doppelgängers. This town is a vortex of supernatural creepiness."

"Lucky me," Sheriff Forbes says with a sigh. How can the town she's sworn to protect be this infested with evil? How could she let this happen? Hell, she didn't even pick up on Damon's vampirism. "How am I supposed to help with a time traveler and how does that help me stop those…witches?"

Damon opens his mouth to explain, but pauses. How does he tell his friend that her daughter died days ago, woke up as one of the immortal monsters she's spent her whole life fighting, and has now traveled from, what Damon suspects is, the far off future? It's been along time since he's concerned himself with how someone else may feel or react, and Damon decides he doesn't like the alien emotion. Still, he can tell Liz is on the fence about trusting him. She may decide at any moment that killing Damon and every other monster in Mystic Falls is the only morally acceptable option. And honestly, Damon would agree with that decision. It's what a righteous person would do. He's always found the blood of righteous people to have a bitter taste, so Damon would be disappointed in having to kill Liz. That and, you know, he might miss her. So now, he finds himself worried about her reaction to finding out Caroline is a vampire.

"Do you know how people turn into vampires, Liz?"

"Not exactly," she mumbles uncomfortably.

"First, you drink vampire blood. Then, you die," Damon says simply and Liz frowns in confusion.

"Vampire blood kills humans?"

"No, vampire blood heals humans of almost any injury. But, if you happen to die with the blood still in your system, you wake up a…"

"Vampire," Liz finishes.

"Pretty much," Damon confirms with head nod as he pulls into the carport and shifts into park.

"Why are you telling me this, Damon?" Liz asks and Damon turns to meet her gaze.

"Because, Stefan and I died when our father, Giuseppe Salvatore, shot and killed us."

"What?" Liz exclaims in surprise. "Why-How could he do that?"

"He was a righteous man and felt his principals were more important than the lives of his sons," Damon answers solemnly. "Stefan and I were trying to save a vampire that we…cared about. And, our father couldn't handle the shame of raising two sympathizers. I don't think he appreciated the irony when we woke up as the monsters he'd spent his life hunting."

Liz stares at Damon as she tries to absorb everything. How could a father kill his own sons? As much of a brat as Caroline could be toward her mother, Liz can't even imagine ever hurting her.

"Damon," Liz starts, but he interrupts her.

"Just remember that you are nothing like, Giuseppe Salvatore. You're a good person and a great parent," Damon says before abruptly climbing out of the car and heading toward the front door. Liz watches him in puzzlement for a moment.

 _What's that supposed to mean?_

She quickly follows after Damon, when he disappears into the boarding house. Liz closes the front door after her as Damon stands in the foyer staring upward toward Stefan's room.

"What is it?" Liz asks, unsure why Damon is just standing there in silence. He places one finger to his lips and then to his ear, indicating that he's listening. She tries to listen, but only hears the creaking of an old house.

Damon makes a hissing noice and cringes. "That's gotta hurt. Can't say I blame her though."

He sniggers to himself and motions for Liz to follow him to the main living room. She stands awkwardly in the center and watches Damon poor a glass of bourbon. He grabs a second glass and then pauses suddenly.

"Incoming," Damon warns nonchalantly and Liz looks around in confusion.

"You son of a bitch!" A familiar voice echoes off the walls from upstairs as it quickly moves closer. "You think, just because you apologize that I'll forgive and forget the fact that you just spent the last couple of hours torturing me?!"

Suddenly, Stefan flies through the upstairs railing and lands in a heap on the coffee table. Liz scrambles out of the way of flying debris and ends up standing at the entrance of the living room, under the balcony from which Stefan descended. Stefan groans as three broken ribs struggle to reassemble around the table leg impaled though his side. Blood bubbles up from his mouth from an injured lung drowning in blood. Stefan struggles to pull the makeshift stake from his abdomen, but finds it too difficult. Damon slowly saunters over to him, drink still in hand, and crouches down next to his little brother.

"So, how's that bunny diet treating you, Saint Stefan?"

Stefan growls, clutching at his injury. "I could use a little help here, brother."

"Don't you dare, Damon," Caroline warns from the balcony above. "He's getting off lucky after what he put me through."

Damon glances up at the blonde vampire before turning his attention back to Stefan and ripping out the stake. "Don't worry, brother. I brought the perfect distraction."

Caroline immediately jumps down to the living room with her vampire face unleashed and growling threateningly. She stops in her tracks when she finds Liz Forbes standing underneath the balcony. Liz had recognized her daughter's voice immediately, but the Sheriff's brain cells must've overloaded because she's having difficultly making the connections needed to form thoughts. The shock of seeing her daughter as a vampire is overwhelming, to say the least. Liz just stares dumbfounded as her Caroline stops in surprise and drops her vampire mask. Tears well up in her eyes and an instant later, Caroline has her arms wrapped around her mother.

Sheriff Forbes is physically incapable of reacting to the vampire's sudden embrace. Her instincts to kill the monster war against her maternal instincts. Finally, it's the whispers of love and sorrow from the sobbing Caroline that break through Liz's struggle. She wraps her arms around her little girl and kisses her head comfortingly.

"Liz, meet our time traveler," Damon says.

Several hours later, Caroline and Liz sit in the living room talking as Stefan and Damon listen from the kitchen. The purpose was to give them the allusion of privacy, but Caroline knows better. So far, all Damon's heard them discussing are memories of Caroline growing up. At first, Damon used the time to catchup his little brother on Caroline's appearance last night and everything he's managed to pull out of her. Now, he's getting impatient.

"I guess it's safe to say that she's definitely Caroline. It's good to know the girl eventually learns how to keep a secret. Too bad it's screwing us over," Damon growls as he leans against the kitchen counter with his arms crossed.

"Why are you so eager to hear about the future?" Stefan asks from his seat at the table.

"Are you saying you're not?"

"I'm more interested in figuring out Katherine's motives and running her out of town," Stefan says. "Caroline might be able to shed some light on that situation since she's already lived through it."

"Yeah, and apparently every other big bad we'll face in the name of Elena," Damon mutters.

"What do you mean?"

"Caroline said that doppelgänger blood, e.i. Elena's blood, is valuable to certain powerful witches and to a twelve hundred year old _hybrid_ named Klaus. I got the impression that Elena attracts a lot of supernatural trouble."

"What the hell is a hybrid? And, what kind of trouble are we talking?"

"Vampire and a werewolf cross. And, that's what I'm trying to get out of her," Damon growls. "Did she let anything slip during your torture porn indulgence?"

"No," Stefan answers with a roll of his eyes. "Only that she's from the future and she's looking for someone."

"Two someone's," Damon adds, raising two fingers. "Twin witches that want Katherine dead. So, at least that solves one of our problems."

"Twins? Are they young women with dark hair?"

"Yep, Jo and Lizzie. Get this, they're Caroline's adopted kids," Damon says with a sneer and Stefan's mouth drops open in surprise. "And, apparently they're one of the most powerful witches in the world. They are here along with the ACTUAL most powerful witch in the world, Hope, and Klaus."

"So, they're here for Elena's blood."

"What?"

"You said doppelgänger blood is valuable to powerful witches and Klaus. And, judging by Caroline's strength, she's older than us. That means Elena would have died of old age a long time ago. Maybe, another doppelgänger hasn't been born yet and, rather than waiting, they travel back to this time," Stefan explains.

Damon stares at him for moment, surprised that he hadn't made those connections himself. But, he knows why. Even, the thought of a world without Elena knocks the wind from his lungs and he turns around to grip the counter for support. Damon quickly gathers himself and grabs a coffee mug from a nearby cabinet in an effort to hide his reaction. After sniffing the old coffee in the pot, he changes his mind and swirls toward the door to the living room.

"Okay, I think we've had enough mother-daughter bonding," he says as he bursts into the living room. "It's time to get down to business."

Both Forbes women sit back and glare identically at Damon's rude interruption. While Stefan sneaks in and earns one of the nastiest looks he's seen from Caroline Forbes, Damon saunters over to his crystal decanter with an excited grin. "Caroline, it's time to spill the beans. Your kids are running amuck killing people, and…"

"What!" Caroline interrupts at the same time Liz sputters in surprise.

"Kids?"

"Adopted," Damon clarifies for Liz before sipping from his glass and turning back to Caroline. "They spent the morning killing a dozen people, threatening Liz, and trying to track down Katherine. So, it's safe to say that the time line is shot to hell. So, no more need to keep secrets."

"Oh my God, they've killed people?" Caroline leans back into her chair and grabs her chest with a pained expression. "What has Hope dragged them into? They're looking for Katherine? Why?"

"We think it might have something to do with doppelgänger blood. Could that be why they traveled here?" Stefan asks, sitting in the throne next to the living room entrance. He figures that gives him enough distance to keep Caroline from attacking him, again. Apparently, the girl can hold a grudge.

"People who torture me don't get to speak to me without permission," Caroline snaps at him and Stefan grimaces.

"How often have you been tortured?" Damon asks, amused by the outburst. The blonde vampire actually thinks about it for a moment and huffs.

"You'd be surprised."

"Well, given that Stefan is not allowed to speak to you, which I think is a great rule," Damon says with no small amount of humor that makes both Liz an Caroline roll their eyes. "May I ask if you think that doppelgänger blood could be a viable reason for your murderous children to travel across time?"

"They are not murderous!" Caroline exclaims, jumping to her feet I protest. "They are good people with kind hearts. I did not raise them to…"

Caroline pauses mid-outburst and drops her arms, deflated. Her eyes search the room for something as her mind works a million miles per hour. Finally, she closes her eyes and sighs in resignation. "They aren't normally like this. They're not themselves."

Something about Caroline's words reminds Damon of the dead look in Liz and Jo's eyes. They were emotionless, like they flipped a humanity switch. But, witches don't have humanity switches. Right? Damon opens his mouth to ask, but Stefan's phone rings.

"It's Elena," Stefan explains as he jumps up to answer. "I better catch her up, since I can't participate in this conversation anyway."

"Hey, don't forget to tell her how you tortured her best friend in your bedroom," Damon snickers and Caroline smiles weakly at the jab. Stefan waves his hand dismissively as he steps out of the room.

"I have a question about your kids, Caroline," Damon says, quick to get back on track. "They seemed off, today. You know between all the dead bodies, threateningly their grandmother, and what-not…"

"I doubt they knew who you were, Mom," Caroline assures Liz as she sits back down to hold her hand. "They've never met you."

"Why haven't I met them?" Liz asks, disappointed. "Am I not okay with the vampire thing? It's difficult, but, Honey, I love you. I can't imagine not being able to get past this."

"No, Mom. You were wonderful. At least, after you shot Damon a few times."

"What?" Damon interrupts, swishing his bourbon with outrage.

"The first time Mom found out wasn't under ideal circumstances. Mason Lockwood kind of ratted you out at the Volunteer Picnic," Caroline explains to Damon and then turns to Liz to continue. " So, you had your deputies ambush Stefan and Damon and drag them to nearby cellar. You kind of shot Damon a bunch of times with wooden bullets in an attempt to get him to talk. And, you nearly killed Stefan."

"It's good to know that today could have been worse," Damon says with a grimace before downing the remains of his glass.

"What happened? Did I change my mind?" Liz asks. She's unsure how to feel. That's how she should've reacted to learning of Damon's vampirism, but it just sounds wrong coming from her daughter's mouth.

"No, I stepped in and stopped you. We kept you locked away for a few days until the vervain in your system was gone and then I compelled you to forget. It wasn't until a few months later that you found out for real. You handled it a little better that time, but not much. But, in the end, you accepted me," Caroline explains with a gentle tone she usually reserves for her kids.

"I can't believe you, or the other Caroline, have been a vampire for days, and I never noticed," Liz says as the damn of emotions finally burst into tears and Caroline wraps her arms around her mother. She whispers soothingly to Liz as Stefan re-enters the living room.

"May I speak?" He asks the blonde with a teasing smile. Caroline glares at him as her mother attempts to regain control of her emotions, but the time traveler can't help the smile that dances across her lips. "Elena, Bonnie, and the other Caroline are on their way over. Apparently, Katherine's been threatening Caroline for information on Elena and I. I told them about your run in with the twins and that Sheriff Forbes is here. Caroline seemed…anxious about the news."

"It's okay," Liz assures him and then turns to Caroline with a small smile. "We'll be okay."

"Great," Damon interrupts, rubbing his hands together eagerly. "Now that we've hugged it out and sung 'Kumbaya,' I want to talk about your kids."

"What about them, Damon? Are you going to call them murderers, again?" Caroline hisses.

"Well, I wouldn't be wrong, but that's not my point. My point is that when I spoke to them, they seemed off."

"What do you mean?" Stefan asks, but Caroline immediately looks away guiltily. And, Damon catches her slip up.

"She knows what I mean, don't you Caroline."

Caroline glances at Damon and takes a hesitant breath. She fidgets for a moment and avoids meeting his eyes. "It's possible that they….maybe…possibly…"

"Spit it out, Caroline."

"I think they flipped their switches."

Damon looks at her in surprise for a moment before glancing at his brother questioningly. Stefan returns the confused expression. "Caroline, that's impossible. I've never heard of a witch with a humanity switch. It's a vampire thing."

"What's a humanity switch?" Liz asks.

"It's this little switch vampires have hidden in the back of their minds. Flip that sucker and all those pesky human emotions just disappear," Damon explains, flitting his fingers as a demonstration. "That's why so many of us are so much fun to hang around."

"But, you all have your emotions on? Including, my Caroline?"

"Yes, we do," Caroline assures her. Stefan glances at his brother to see his reaction. He knows Damon doesn't like to admit to feeling anything, especially after decades without his emotions. But, lately, Damon hasn't been able to hide it. Not from him and certainly not from Elena.

Damon just strolls back over to his decanter and pours himself another glass of bourbon before speaking. "So, how is possible that you're witchy daughters have humanity switches?"

"Because, they are also vampires," Caroline explains. Damon chugs his drink and slams down his empty glass to pour what seems like his hundredth shot. When Stefan joins him next to the little table, Damon grabs a second glass and pours his brother a drink, too.

"So, vampires, witches, doppelgängers," Stefan begins.

"Werewolves, time travelers, hybrids, and now…witchpires?" Damon ends, unsure of the name.

"Heretics," Caroline offers. "But, I believe you prefer the term witchpires."

"Naturally," Stefan quips, sipping from his drink.

"Witchpire does seem more descriptive than heretic," Damon admits.

Liz watches the boys in amusement as they struggle to wrap their heads around the new threat. She doesn't even attempt to understand. It's apparent that her usefulness is limited to confirming Caroline's identity and maybe legal back up, but otherwise she doesn't see how she'll be able to help with the growing threats in her town.

A nock at the door interrupts her thoughts and Stefan hurries to answer it. A moment later, Elena, Bonnie, and Caroline pile into the living room. At least, Elena and Bonnie enter the living room. Caroline comes to an abrupt stop at the edge of the living room. She's surprised by the invisible barrier keeping her from advancing any closer. Everyone frowns in confusion as she bangs against the seal. Everyone, but the older Caroline.

"Yeah, that's not going to work. We can't be within ten feet of each other."

"Who are you?" Elena asks, glancing between her friend and the woman on the couch.

"Oh, Stefan didn't tell you about our time traveler?" Damon says with a faux astonished expression and opens his arms wide in typical Damon showmanship. "This is Caroline from, how far in the future exactly?"

"Around two hundred years," Caroline finally admits with a smile.

"What?!" Bonnie blurts. "How's that possible?"

"Magic," the blond answers with a shrug, barely containing the joy at seeing her best friends for the first time in so long. "Bonnie, Elena, it's so good to see you two. It's been too long."

Bonnie and Elena glance at each other self-consciously. This woman looks like their friend, but it's hard to wrap your head around two hundreds years. The younger Caroline is shell shocked to say the least. Her future self has traveled two hundred years through time and her mother sits next to the older vampire like it's no big deal.

Meanwhile, Damon catches the sound of something rustling above. He glances at Stefan to find him listening, too. Damon concentrates and realizes that the noise is coming from the roof. He nods at his brother, and both vampires silently disappear. The girls will be busy catching up for a while, anyway.

Katherine slinks quietly across the roof of the boarding house. Caroline's idea of using Damon to find out about Mason's status was a good one, but she couldn't just call the older Salvatore up and ask. No, she'd have to be sneaky. So, she opted to use the teenagers' entrance as a cover to silently leap onto the roof and eavesdrop. She never expected to overhear the confession of a two hundred year old Caroline. Honestly, who ever thought Caroline would survive that long. Especially, since she's supposed to be sacrificed in Klaus' ritual. That's why Katherine turned her. That's the sole purpose of her existence. So, if Klaus didn't sacrifice Caroline Forbes what does that mean for Katherine?

 _Nothing good,_ she grumbles silently and shifts uncomfortably.

Crouching on a roof in stilettos is not an easy task, even for a vampire. Her heel repeatedly slips ever-so-slightly and Katherine has to continually adjust. So, she isn't surprised when the Salvatore brothers whoosh into existence at her back. She smiles wickedly at her play things as she turns to face them. Katherine props one hand on her hip and thrusts her chest out playfully.

"Hello, boys."

"Katherine," Stefan greets coolly.

"I hear you had a run in with a couple of witches that want you dead," Damon asks. "Come to say your last goodbyes?"

"To Stefan, maybe."

Damon's grin twists into a snarl at the barb. The bitch always knows how to push his buttons. Before he can decide whether to attack the retched woman, Katherine jumps from the roof and vamp speeds away. Naturally, Damon goes after her and Stefan grudgingly follows his brother. All three vampires stop a mile or two down the road.

"What's a matter Katherine? You don't like the idea of being out numbered?" Stefan growls.

"Caroline, the baby vamp, doesn't scare me, but a two hundred year old version plus you two. I didn't survive this long by taking chances," she happily explains. "But, I'm always happy to play with you two. I know how well you share."

"Cut the crap, Katherine," Damon snarls. "Why are you here?"

Katherine opens her mouth to speak, but Stefan cuts her off.

"Actually, don't bother answering. You'll just lie like you always do. We," Stefan pauses to motion between Damon and himself. "Will get answers from Caroline. She's already been through this, so she knows your end game."

"I told you Stefan. My end game is you. Ask 'future' Caroline," Katherine responds, miming quotation marks. "She'll just tell you how much I love you. And, how eventually you chose me."

"Over Elena? That's never going to happen," Stefan mutters with a scoff and Katherine's smirk turns sour.

"What? You think she'll tell you all about your life with Elena Gilbert? How your love was epic and all consuming? She's not going to turn for you. I can already tell that much. So, maybe Caroline will tell you about your great love and how you watched Elena age into an old withered woman before she died in your arms."

"Do you get a trophy every time you out bitch yourself?" Damon asks.

"Don't be bitter, Damon. Just because we all know there's no future where Elena picks you over Stefan. I mean what girl would?"

"Look another trophy," Stefan growls.

Damon and Stefan stand a few feet from each other, side by side, and glare at the five hundred year old pain-in-the-ass. Oh, how they ache to kill her. But, she smiles smugly knowing she is far stronger than both of them combined.

"Screw it," Damon mutters and lunges for her. Stefan is right behind him. Before Damon can lay a hand on Katherine, she breaks his leg and slams him into the pavement. An instant later, she has Stefan pinned to the ground by his throat while she straddles him.

"When you have over three hundred years on someone, Stefan, fighting technique doesn't really matter," she whispers into his ear and possessively rubs her free hand over his chest.

"Well, that's just not true," Elena says as she appears above Stefan and Katherine. Shocked by her doppelgänger's sudden appearance, Katherine is unprepared for Elena's next move. In an instant, Elena shoves her hand into Katherine's back, aiming for her heart. Lucky for Katherine, she's older and faster, so she is able to lurch away before Elena's hand finds its target. But, Elena follows after the older vampire and tackles her to the pavement. They tumble as Elena grapples for leverage against the stronger vampire.

Katherine may be strong and fast, but she is not a fighter. And, vampire Elena has caught her by surprise. A very big surprise. Katherine's flight instincts kick in and she quickly pries Elena off before disappearing into the woods.

"Damn it," Elena complains as she watches Katherine run away from her spot on the ground. "I almost had her."


	9. Chapter 9

Elena groans at Katherine's escape as she lies prone in the middle of the road. She was so close. She should've known killing Katherine wouldn't be that easy. It's never been easy. Killing that traitorous bitch has always required all their resources, so Elena isn't sure why she even tried. She just saw an opening and took it. Of course, her decision to attack had nothing to do with Katherine's nasty comments. Elena has far too much control over her emotions to be goaded into attacking a vampire 300 years her senior in her weakened condition. So, yeah, it was a coincidence.

Either way, she's now lying on the pavement covered in blood with only a trucker's button down shirt covering her nudity. When a breeze tugs at the long shirt covering her upper body and only a portion of her legs, she considers climbing to her feet. But, her severe hunger and pale complexion reminders Elena that she was far too weak to pick a fight with Katherine. Judging by the sandpaper feel of her skin and her pounding headache, she's one step away from desiccation.

 _Stupid time portals_ , she mutters silently before turning her head to find the Salvatore brothers staring at her.

Stefan and Damon lie on the edge of the road where Katherine left them. Stefan slowly climbs to his feet a few yards away and stares at Elena. She wonders at his odd response, but attributes it to the confusion of time travel. Damon, on the other hand, still lies on the ground between Stefan and Elena. As he hurriedly pops a dislocated knee into place and sets a broken femur, Elena rolls her head to face Damon on the ground.

"Hi," she says weakly.

"Hey," Damon answers after gritting from the pain of his leg healing.

"Elena?" Stefan asks and she lift her round doe eyes to meet his obviously conflicted green.

"Yeah, it' me."

"You're a vampire. From the future." Stefan says as though the idea is absurd. And, Elena has to admit that it is the most ridiculous thing she's come across. But, the anguish in the younger Salvator's eyes forces her to realize that it's not the time travel with which he struggles. It's the vampire part. Katherine's comments a few moments ago ring in Elena's ears.

She's not going to turn for you. I can already tell that much. So, maybe Caroline will tell you about your great love and how you watched Elena age into an old withered woman before she died in your arms

"You thought I was dead? What did Caroline tell you?" Elena asks, cringing as she struggles to sit up. When she fails to sit forward and collapses back onto the pavement, Damon rushes to her side.

"You okay?" He asks and Stefan suddenly lurches from his daze to stand at Elena's side opposite of Damon.

"I'm hungry."

For a moment, Damon pauses at the sight of her almost naked and covered in blood. Her hair is disheveled and much shorter than he's ever seen it, but the look of relief on her face is one of the most beautiful things he's seen in a long time. Damon smiles as he realizes that a vampire Elena means she'll be around forever, even if it's at Stefan's side.

Two hundred years with Elena, Damon silently rejoices at the concept while Stefan openly struggles with it.

"Looks like you already ate someone," Damon says teasingly as he motions to the blood.

"You killed someone?" Stefan asks with concern and Damon frowns at his little brother. Does he know Elena at all? And, honestly, who cares if she killed someone.

"She's starving, Stefan. When Caroline appeared she drank two teenagers and a blood bag before she felt normal," Damon explains to the younger Salvatore before turning back to Elena. "How much blood have you had?"

"Just a very large trucker. I didn't drain him. Just took a bite and stole his shirt."

"So, you just attacked some poor sap while you were naked?" Damon asks, wiggling his eyebrows at the visual, and Elena giggles.

"Ow, don't make me laugh," she complains.

"I'm guessing from your near desiccated and pant-less state, you just recently landed on this side of a time portal?" Stefan asks with a gentle smile.

"About an hour ago. I'll admit, I was disappointed when the trucker told me the year. I was hoping for a cheerier decade," Elena mutters and then lifts her arms to Damon expectantly. "Help me."

Damon leans away from her in surprise. Elena has never turned to him for help when Stefan was available. Her casual request unsettles him, but not enough to pass on the opportunity to hold her. So, Damon quickly scoops Elena into his arms before Stefan has a chance to argue. Elena snuggles against his chest as he walks toward the boarding house and Stefan follows quietly behind.

"I heard Katherine mention Caroline. Where is she?" Elena asks in muffled voice against Damon.

"At the house," Stefan answers sullenly. "She's catching up with you, the human you, I mean, and Bonnie and the other Caroline."

Damon can tell by his pouty tone that his baby brother is not happy about their current situation. Although, he's not certain which situation bothers Stefan more; the fact that Elena's a vampire or the fact that the older Salvatore is holding her. Either way, Damon is thrilled by this turn of events.

"And, the munchkins?" She asks.

"Munchkins?" Damon chuckles at the endearment. "If you mean the murderous witchpires currently terrorizing Mystic Falls circa 2010, we have no idea."

"What do you mean, 'murderous'?" Elena pressing her hand against Damon to look up into his face. He glances down to see the same concerned expression his human Elena projects when someone she loves is in danger.

"He means, they've killed a dozen people within their first day here," Stefan explains as he shifts closer to Elena and Damon, causing her to shift and face him.

"Oh God, is Caroline okay?"

"She's worried," Stefan answers, but Damon smiles mischievously.

"But, mostly pissed off because Stefan spent the morning torturing her with sunlight."

"What?!" She exclaims, wriggling in Damon's arms, much to his delight, so she could find a good angle to glare at the younger Salvatore. "Why would you do that to her?"

Stefan sighs in frustration at Damon's announcement. His big brother was enjoying this mistake far too much. "I didn't believe her claim of time travel."

"Yeah, that's weird one," Elena admits, but she continues to glare. "You still should've known."

Stefan squirms under Elena's gaze, not used to the weight of her disappointment. Damon smirks at the feisty brunette in his arms. He's very familiar with her death glares and anger, and Damon's happy to watch someone else suffer her wrath, especially his, oh so, saintly brother.

"You know, I think I'm going to like the future," Damon murmurs.

"Of course, you are," Elena assure him as she looks away from Stefan to meet Damon's serious gaze.

"Are you going to be as tight lipped as Caroline about everything or are you going to tell us what the hell is going on?"

"You find me a few blood bags, Damon, and I will answer as many questions as I can."

With that offer, Damon surges at vamp speed down the road. Elena squeals in delight at the sudden lurch as Stefan follows suit. Several moments later, they stop at the door of the boarding house. Stefan reaches to open the door for Damon and Elena, when she stops him.

"Wait, if I'm in there then I can't go in there."

"Do you want to try that again?" Damon asks with a confused frown.

"I can't go in there," she says, climbing out of Damon's arms to lean against the doorway for support. Stefan holds out a hand to help her, but hesitates. He's unsure how to act around her. This isn't his Elena. His Elena is seventeen years old and human. This Elena is a two hundred year old vampire. Stefan isn't sure she's still the same person.

"I can't be within ten feet of my other self," Elena explains, panting at the exertion. She's wondering if fighting off Katherine was such a good idea. If she'd stuck around a second longer, Katherine would have realized how weak Elena was and easily killed her. Elena's plan hadn't taken into account the possibility that she'd be too weak to actually pull off the heart-snatch technique Damon had taught her centuries before. Granted, she didn't do it that often, but she'd done it enough times that it was second nature when necessary. Now though, she'd give anything not to have wasted her strength on the failed attempt.

"Oh, yeah, that barrier thing that Caroline ran into," Damon remembers the odd seal preventing the younger blonde from getting too close. He hadn't had a chance to get the details on that before leaving to confront Katherine.

"No, that happens for everyone but doppelgängers. It gets weird with us."

"Weirder than a ten foot invisible bubble? Okay, Stefan, why don't you go catch everyone up and make sure that Elena is prepared to give this Elena at least ten feet of space. I'll grab a couple of blood bags. At this rate, you're going to have to rob another hospital," Damon says before reaching for the front door, but Stefan stops him.

"I think I have a better idea. Why don't I ask everyone but your Caroline to leave? I can fill everyone else in later, after we have a chance to figure out what's going on."

Elena frowns at Stefan dispassionately as her head pounds harder and her veins scream for blood. "I don't care. Just, please, do it quickly."

Stefan nods and follows Damon through the front door, while Elena leans her forehead against the cool brick of the house. Damon rushes to the fridge in the cellar and grabs two blood bags before vamp speeding back to Elena. He's not sure why Stefan's so antsy about the upcoming Q & A, but Damon's ready to get started. While Elena gulps down her first bag, they listen to Stefan ask everyone to exit through the back door due to an unexpected visitor. When the human Elena protested, he promises to fill her in later and she complies along with everyone else.

"What's going on, Stefan?" Caroline asks from inside the house and Damon notices a sudden shift in Elena as though she's bracing herself.

"Elena is outside," Stefan explains simply.

"My Elena? That's not possible. She wouldn't come here," Caroline argues with a tone that grows angrier with each word and Elena visibly flinches. "No, the Elena from my time line didn't bother to come home when the ENTIRE WORLD was in danger. So, there's no way she's here to help me. I'm just her sister and best friend."

Damon rolls his eyes at typical Caroline dramatics; obviously that hasn't changed in the last 200 years. But, Elena snarls at the blonde's barb and charges into the boarding house. Caroline is waiting expectantly in the foyer and the flood of sunlight from the open door scalds her face. She blurs into the living room with Elena in pursuit and a screaming match for the ages proceeds. But, Damon only half listens to the argument because he's only just realized that Elena is wearing a daylight ring. Actually, she's wearing two. One on her left ring finger and the other on her right. When he glances at Stefan, Damon can tell he's noticed as well.

"When are you going to let that go, Caroline?" Elena screams. "I'm here to help you."

"Really? That's the only reason you're here?" Caroline asks in a tone that indicates she knows it isn't true. "Let me guess, when Bobby realized a portal was open and I was no where to be found, he called Damon and Stefan. And, naturally Damon calls you because we all know there's only one thing that can convince you to come home. Too bad this isn't the century you were hoping for."

"You're right, it's not. But, I'm here, so I'm going to help as much as I can."

"No," Caroline growls through clenched teeth. "You wouldn't even answer the phone when I was begging for your help, Elena. So, I've learned to make do without it. Go back to your beach house and drink yourself into oblivion. I've grown accustomed to seeing you once a year for Christmas dinner. Let's not change anything, now."

"Damond and Stefan are looking for Hope. She's the only that has a prayer of stopping the girls. When Damon called, they were in New Orleans tracking down Klaus. So, it's going to be awhile before they can get here, Caroline. Whether you like it or not, you need my help."

"Well, they aren't going to find them," Caroline argues. "Hope and Klaus are here helping Jo and Lizzie."

"All the more reason for you accept me help," Elena says in a gentle tone. "Come one, Caroline. You know I love you and the girls."

Caroline frowns at Elena's imploring expression and remembers the wonderful friend and sister Elena used to be. But, that was before. Now, Caroline knows better than to rely on the brunette. The last fifty years has been hard on all of them, but Elena refuses to move on. Instead, she wallows in her sorrow, using alcohol as a bandaid and lashes out at anyone that tries to help. Damon has been the only one able to reach here and that's only recently. Although he's claimed she's doing better, Caroline still doesn't trust Elena.

"No."

"Fine," Elena mutters in frustration and pulls the ring from her right hand. "What should I do this, then?"

Caroline falters upon seeing the extra daylight ring. She'd been so focused on Elena's surprise appearance, Caroline hadn't noticed it.

"You brought me a daylight ring?"

"I thought you might need it, but if you don't want my help," Elena says, grasping the ring in a closed fist to make her point.

"Give me the ring, Elena."

"You basically just called me a selfish bitch. If that's true, why should I hand this over?"

"I don't mean to interrupt this fascinating cat fight," Damon jumps in. "But, how did you get the rings here? I thought you said nothing from the future survives the portal. You know, 'Terminator' rules."

"Only items covered in flesh, so I put them in my mouth," Elena explains calmly.

"If it's that easy, why didn't you do it?" Damon asks Caroline.

"Because, I didn't have time to stop and think about it. I was rushing, remember?"

"Here," Elena says offering the ring to Caroline. "Bobby made this for you. He figured you might need it. So, it's yours whether you let me help or not."

Caroline slowly takes the ring from the brunette and slips it onto her left ring finger. She admires it for a moment before glancing back at Elena. "Thanks. But, I don't want your help, Elena."

"Then, I'll just hang out here," she responds. "I need a shower, anyway."

"No, I want you to go home."

"Sorry, but you're stuck with me," Elena says as she moseys on over to Damon's stash of bourbon. She picks up the decanter to sniff it and grimaces at the smell. She's never really developed a taste for bourbon, but it's better than nothing. She quickly pours a drink and takes a sip.

"Argh! You are infuriating! You've being hanging around Damon way too much," the blonde complains triggering a smirk from Damon and a frown from Stefan. "Fine, just stay out of my way."

Caroline turns to leave and makes it half way to the front door before she pauses to look back at Elena. "Maybe, you should spend your time here with Jeremy and Jenna? Even Alaric."

Elena pauses mid sip and nearly chokes on the alcohol. She stares at Caroline dumbfounded and the older vampire smiles at the affect she's had on the brunette. Caroline leaves the house and Elena slowly sets her glass down to contemplate her situation.

 _They're all alive. I can see them and talk to them,_ Elena says silently. _But, they're not my family. They belong to this time line's Elena. Who is still human and, from what I gathered from Katherine, still dating Stefan. This isn't my world and this Jeremy, Jenna, and Alaric are not my family. But, still…_

"Well, that was interesting," Damon mutters as he takes the glass of bourbon Elena set on the table and drinks it. Lost in her thoughts and comforted by his close proximity, Elena unconsciously leans into Damon and places her cheek against his shoulder. Damon's stomach flips at the intimate touch and he grows deathly still, afraid to breath and break the trance. Stefan, on the other hand, frowns anxiously and quickly decides to interrupt.

"You should shower and change your clothes. I'm sure Elena has something lying around."

Stefan's voice breaks through her thoughts and Elena turns to face him. Surprisingly, she doesn't notice or acknowledge her odd behavior toward Damon. Instead, she nods her head and quietly leaves the room.

"Drink?" Damon asks Stefan as he pours himself another.

"Yep."

As Damon hands Stefan a shot of bourbon, he hears a shower upstairs turn on and both brothers pause. "Is she…"

"Yep," Stefan answers with a deep frown and Damon smiles delightfully at the thought of Elena Gilbert using his shower.

An hour later, Damon walks into the kitchen to find Elena standing on a chair and rifling through a cabinet above the refrigerator. Half of her torso is hidden within the cabinet as she struggles to find something. Honestly, Damon hopes she never finds it because the sight of Elena at the moment is heart stopping.

"Is that my shirt?" Damon asks and Elena jumps in surprise. She quickly pulls her head from the cabinet and smiles down at him.

"Yep," she answers with a mischievous smile. "So, are the boxers."

"I don't own any boxers."

"Yes, you do. They were in the back of your closet, still wrapped in their original packaging," Elena argues with a snigger before returning to her task of searching the cabinet.

"What are you looking for?"

"Cupcakes."

"We don't have any cupcakes," Damon says as though the idea of two bachelor vampires owning cupcakes is more ridiculous than time traveling vampires.

"How long was Caroline locked in this house with nothing to do?"

"I don't know. I think most of her day was spent in torture with Stefan, so maybe an hour?"

"Plenty of time to make cupcakes," Elena explains.

"Why would Caroline make cupcakes? Is she hosting a 'find my murderous children' party? If so, I must have lost my invitation," Damon says as he stands next to Elena's tan legs on the chair, enjoying the view of her in his oversized clothes.

"They're not murderous, Damon. They just aren't themselves without their humanity," Elena argues from within the cabinet. "Everyone does stuff they regret when their switch is off."

"Have you?" Damon probes cautiously.

"Of course," she answers and he's blown away by her causal answer. "At least, their collateral damage is confined to a completely different world, unlike mine."

"I can't imagine you'd do anything too terrible, even without your humanity."

"You'd be surprise. I tend to burn down houses and drop classic cars off of freight ships into the middle of the ocean," Elena quips with a guilty glance at him.

"What?! What car? My car?"

"Ahah! I found them." Elena pulls out a small tray of cupcakes perfectly decorated with white icing.

"How's that possible? We don't have the ingredients for cupcakes in this house, do we?"

"It's Caroline, she can do anything," Elena answers with a giggle as she hops down from the chair to set the cupcakes on the counter next to the empty sink.

"If she made those, there would be dirty dishes."

"Again, it's Caroline. I'm surprised she didn't reorganize the entire kitchen while she was waiting for the cupcakes to cook." Elena jumps onto the counter to enjoy the fruits of her labor. She offers one to Damon and he steps closer to take it. He leans against the counter next to Elena, fascinated with her joyful ease. She seems happy. Like, more so than his Elena. Human Elena seems to have been in a constant state of sadness, angst, or otherwise serious frowny face mode since he's met her. Only a few times has he seen her genuinely smile and laugh. Usually, it's because of Stefan, but once it was because of Damon. It was in Atlanta. Elena was almost a different person in Atlanta. She was this Elena. Happy, carefree, and alive. The way she's meant to be. Well, except for the alive part.

Damon watches Elena devour her cupcake and savor each bite, delighted by her excitement. "I don't think I've seen someone this excited about a cupcake."

"They are Caroline's cupcakes. I haven't had one in forever."

"Because, you two are fighting." Elena sighs at his obvious attempt at probing, but remains focused on the crumbs of her cupcake.

"We're not fighting," she argues and Damon's incredulous look makes her smile. "Okay, she's fighting. I'm just not apologizing."

"What did you do?"

"Is that really what you want to ask me? Two hundred years on this planet and you want to gossip about the latest family drama?" Elena teases as she reaches for another cupcake. Before biting into her second treat, Elena realizes that Damon hasn't started his first. "You're not eating your cupcake. Is something wrong?"

Damon glances at the frosted desert in his hand and back at the brown eyed vampire. He smiles before taking a bite. "I have to admit, these are pretty good."

"I told you." Elena grins in delight at his response. Damon find himself smiling goofily at Elena for no other reason than that she's happy with him. She's never been openly friendly with him. Sure, she's treated him like a friend and made him feel accepted, but she's never been friendly with him. In fact, right now the other Elena hates him. Said as much just the other day.

And, the answer to your question about our friendship is yes. You have lost me forever.

But, it seems this Elena has changed her mind about him. Somehow, the other Damon earned this Elena's forgiveness. Damon hopes to pick his future self's brain regarding all thing Elena as soon as he arrives, since, according to Caroline and Elena's argument, he will be showing up with the other Stefan any time. But, for now, maybe Elena can shed some light on the subject.

"You know that 'present you' hates me, right? You basically promised to hate me forever."

Elena pauses mid bite and frowns in contemplation. "What did you do?"

"Shouldn't you remember?"

"You've done several things in the last 200 years to earn an 'I hate you' or two, so you're going to have to be more specific," Elena explains with a chuckle.

"Really? Like what?"

"Oh, where to begin. It usually involves you killing someone you shouldn't have," Elena murmurs in contemplation. "Oh, you killed Jeremy. That's what this is about."

"You got me," Damon admits with a cringe.

"Give her a cupcake," Elena says and he smiles incredulously.

"What? A cupcake isn't going to convince the 'other you' to forgive me."

"No, but it's a start."

"What did the other Damon do to earn your forgiveness?" Damon asks solemnly as he takes another bite from his cupcake and Elena's smile falters.

"Honestly? I don't remember. That time of my life is a little foggy."

Damon opens his mouth to ask for more information, since vampires don't usually have memory issues. But, Elena stops him in his tracks when she uses a finger to wipe a bit of frosting from his lips and sucks it off her finger tip. She smiles innocently afterwards like it was the most normal thing she could've done. When her gaze meets Damon's dark blue eyes, she recognizes the deep longing building within him. The sensual caress has instigated a carnal need in him that Elena longs to fill and she instinctively shifts closer to him. When he responds with a slow in-take of breath, Elena suddenly remembers that this isn't her Damon. Her Damon is still in her timeline searching for Klaus and Hope. Sure, she hasn't seen him in six weeks and technically this is still Damon. So rationally , she's not responding another man, just her husband. Before he was, is, her husband.

 _Nope_ , Elena admonishes silently. _Don't start playing that game. You'll just end up in trouble, Elena._

Elena turns away from Damon's close proximity with great reluctance and finds her human counterpart watching from the kitchen door, holding a fresh pair of clothes.


	10. Chapter 10

Katherine breaks through the shrubs and trees and stops at the base of a ruined home. She spins around instinctively to scan the area for pursuers. The light glistens across her face and she tucks a stray curl behind her ear, listening to the sounds of the forest. Nothing, but wildlife.

 _Good_ , she sighs. Looking around, she smiles as she realizes where her panicked mind instinctively sought shelter. The old Salvatore estate.

How many summer days were spent lounging in the garden, watching Damon and Stefan playing with a football? They were always her favorite toys. Damon was fun to rile up and twist around her finger. He was so love sick, he would have done anything she asked of him. Even, betray his brother. Stefan was innocent and naïve to the ways of the world. Hey may not want to admit it, but the younger Salvatore truly loved her. And, he was everything Katherine had wanted when she were human.

In her five hundred years of immortality, Katherine had numerous men love and worship her. She attracted the bad boys, the misunderstood men that needed something or someone to which to devote their lives and she twisted them to her own uses. And, they loved her for it. Damon is a prime example of her power. By today's standards, human Damon was a lost puppy trying to find his place in the world. He was hated by his father, shamed into fighting for cause he despised, dishonored for not dying for said cause, and the perfect play toy for Katherine.

Winding Damon around her finger was familiar and easy, Stefan on the other hand was different. Damon loved the vampire Katherine, but Stefan loved the human mask. He was the good brother and Katherine was drawn to him like a moth to a flame. She found herself dreaming of what their lives could have been had she met him as a human. But, just like the scattered stone and overgrown slab, her time in Mystic Falls crumbled. She'd let herself grow too attached to her toys.

She'd missed them over the past hundred and fifty years and she thought for a moment she'd get to have some fun with them. Sure, that wasn't her initial intent. She'd originally planned to do a little eavesdropping, maybe find out what they knew about Mason and the twin witches. But, adaptability is key to surviving in all situations. So, when her favorite toys were dangled in front of her like bait on a string, she couldn't help herself. And, it had almost cost her a heart. Literally.

Katherine growls at the thought of her own doppelgänger killing her. Worse that Damon or Stefan had turned her without Katherine's knowledge. No, that's not right. Elena was at the boarding house. Katherine would have known if she had followed Stefan and Damon. Another doppelgänger then? No, not possible. Katherine would know of another doppelgänger. She's spent her whole existence running from Klaus and looking for a way to escape his wrath. Another doppelgänger would have popped up on to her radar as quickly as Elena did. No, something else was going on here.

 _Like two Elenas?_ Katherine silently muses. _Maybe, Caroline and the witches aren't the only time travelers._

But, that means the vampire Elena that attempted to rip out her heart is at least two hundred years old. And, she's a damn vampire. Is that what went wrong with her plan to escape Klaus? Did Elena turn to escape the sacrifice? That would explain why Caroline is still alive and not sacrificed in Klaus' ritual as Katherine planned. Katherine growls at the idea of competing for Stefan's attention for the next two hundred years.

No, Katherine Pierce doesn't lose. She wants her freedom from Klaus and she wants Stefan. It seems like it's time to get back on track. She has her vampire, her werewolf, and her doppelgänger. Now, where the hell is Mason with her Moon stone? Katherine pulls out her cell phone to call her werwolf lover and finds several missed calls from him. She'd placed her phone on silent during her trip to the boarding house. She quickly dials Mason's number and smiles when he answers on the first ring.

"Kat, where are you? Are you okay?"

"I'm okay. I'm rattled, but I'm okay."

"What happened? I stopped by the B and B earlier and the police have it taped off. Where are you?"

"I had a run in with a couple of witches," Katherine explains.

"So, they killed all those people?" Mason asks, an edge of disbelief in his voice.

"Of course, you don't think I would do something like that?" And, the truth is that she wouldn't, but only for practical reasons. Morally, she finds no issue with slaughtering innocent humans, since they're going to die in a few years anyway. She is the one that compelled them all to kamikaze the witches, after all. But, it's the twins that opted to kill rather than incapacitate. Katherine would never commit mass murder without dealing with the evidence or running to the other side of the planet. She didn't survive this long on the run by leaving trails to follow.

"No, I know you wouldn't, but why didn't you call me? I've been worried sick about you, darling."

"Oh, Mason, you're sweet," Katherine smiles. Her werewolf has always been too sweet for his own good. "I didn't want to distract you from your task. Nothing is more important than finding the Moon stone."

"Don't worry. I got it," Mason assures her.

"You have it?"

"Yep, Tyler finally handed it over. He's scared of activating his curse and he should be. We can't let him suffer through it like I have, Kat."

"We won't," she lies. "With the Moon stone, we can break the werewolf curse and none of you will ever have to change, again."

"I love you."

"I love you, too, baby," Katherine responds automatically with a wicked smile. Twisting Mason around her little finger was almost as easy as duping Damon so many years ago. Love sick puppies, both of them.

"Where are you? I'll bring you the stone and we can't do this," Mason exclaims eagerly.

"My witch won't be here for another hour, but I'm certain we can find something to keep us entertained until then," her voice slips into an alluring cadence that would send shivers throughout any warm blooded man. "Meet me in the cemetery?"

"I'm heading there, now."

Katherine hangs up and rushes to the cemetery. She wants to scout out the area before Mason arrives. She's still very suspicious as to whether or not he ratted her out to the witches. Come to think of it, Mason didn't ask about the witches at all. That may be because of his eagerness to break the curse, but Katherine can't help but wonder otherwise.

During her inspection of the cemetery, Katherine finds several destroyed trees and headstones. The shattered pieces are scattered in a circle around a couple of melted headstones. It looks exactly as the park in the town square looked last night after the light show. The vampire growls as she connects the dots between the damage and Damon's odd behavior toward Caroline last night.

 _That was the time portal and Damon was there when Caroline came through,_ Katherine says silently. _Right under my nose._

Looking around, Katherine wonders who came through here. Maybe, Elena? Or, is someone else in town? Katherine rolls her eyes at the thought of everyone in Mystic Falls having a double from the future running around.

 _Even me._ And, that thought draws an evil smile the size of Texas across Katherine's pretty face. _Here's hoping._

Katherine turns when she hears footsteps at the edge of the cemetery. She blurs away front the destruction and towards the sounds of Mason's entrance. She doesn't want to explain anything more than she must to her werwolf. The less he knows, the easier he'll be to control.

"Mason," Katherine calls and he looks up with a smile of relief. The sun is setting and the orange light basks the vampire in a golden halo that tugs at Mason's heart strings. He'd love to spend eternity with this beautiful creature, but the fates won't allow it. So, he'll enjoy every second he has with her.

"Kat," he whispers and rushes to her. His strong arms wrap around her completely as he pulls her into a hug. For a moment, Katherine indulges in the love and safety his arms promise. She nestles face into his chest and listens to his heartbeat. Had she been anyone else, maybe she wouldn't have noticed the slight change. But, she's Katherine. And, Katherine notices everything, because she's paranoid. Because paranoia keeps her alive.

"Are happy to see me?" Katherine asks in a sickly sweet voice as she gently pulls away from her lovers grasp. Mason frowns in confusion at her sudden shift in daemon and the absence of her body against his.

"Of course, I am. What's wrong?"

"Where's the moon stone?"

"It's here," Mason answers, pulling it from a pant pocket. Katherine's eyes widen as the last item on her list comes into reach. Once it's in hand, she'll reach out to Klaus and barter for her freedom. Everything is finally falling into place.

"That's wonderful, now we can break the curse," she says eagerly as she steps closer and runs her hands along Mason's chest. Again, she feels his heartbeat under her fingers and frowns. "Aren't you excited?"

"I'm thrilled," he answers, tucking the stone back into his pocket and bending down to capture Katherine's supple lips. Her presence encompasses all his senses. Her scent is an odd flowery concoction that reminds him of wildflower patches on the Lockwood estate. The softness of her tan skin is like an invitation to Nirvana. The taste of her lips burns like the coldest Vodka in Russia. Pulling away, he looks down at the flush in her face and the calculating gaze in her deep brown eyes. He can hear the slow beat of her heart and wonders if all vampires have slower heartbeats. Has his changed? Is is slower than before?

"I'd give anything to spend my eternity right here. Forever in your arms," he whispers and Katherine smiles in confusion.

"You're a werewolf, Mason. You'll never have forever."

Mason smiles and places both hands on Katherine's face to cradle her cheeks. He rubs his thumbs across her jaw lovingly and she watches him closely. He places a gently, longing kiss on her lips. A last kiss goodbye. When he leans back, his eyes are a golden amber above dark veins and fangs descend threateningly. Katherine lurches back from the sudden change, but Mason's unexpected strength holds her tight.

As he lunges for her neck, she twists away and throws her arms up in defense. His teeth sink into the flesh of her arm and she screams. Ripping her flesh from his fangs, Katherine knees him in the groin. When he keels over from the he blow, she grabs his face and jerks suddenly until Mason collapses with his neck at an odd angle.

"No, no, no," Katherine groans at the pain from the bite and stares as it tries to heal. "This can't be happening. This isn't possible. It's not even a full moon."

Katherine runs her hands through her face and takes several deep breathes. She has to stay calm. She has to think of something, anything to stop this. Katherine Pierce will not die from a damn werewolf bite. She's only seen one vampire infected with werewolf venom. He didn't die quick or painless. It was a slow slide into rabid madness and insufferable pain until he's body finally fell cold and lifeless.

No, Katherine Pierce will not go quietly into the night. She will not give up so easily. She quickly pulls out her phone and dials Lucy.

"Where are you?"

"Girl, I'm almost there. Hold your horses," Lucy drawls through the phone.

"I need you here, now."

"I'm coming as fast as I can, Kat. Surely, things haven't changed that much since we last spoke. I told you to hold up and stay away from those witches until I get there."

"What do you know about werewolf bites?" Katherine asks abruptly. She doesn't have time to play games.

"Werewolves?" Lucy repeats in surprise and then alarm bells ring. "Kat, tell me you didn't get bitten by a werewolf."

"Lucy, I need a cure and I need it now. You owe me your life. Here's your chance to pay up." Katherine hates to beg, but she's all about survival at this point. She'd climb onto her hands and knees for a cure.

"I wish I could. I really do. You know I'll do anything to keep you alive, if only to pay back my debt. But, there is no known cure for a werewolf bite," Lucy explains. "I'm so sorry."

"There has to be something, Lucy," Katherine growls angrily. "I promise you, if I don't get a cure tonight, I'll spend my last hours snuffing out the Bennet bloodline."

"No need to get nasty, Kat. I have an idea."

"I'm listening."

"I don't know of any cure and the spirits will not be of any help for this. But, I know that magic evolves over time. It changes. Witches discover or create new spells everyday. Maybe, someone will eventually create a cure for werewolf bites. Sometime in the future."

"Lucky me," Katherine says, picking up on to Lucy's suggestion. "Mystic Falls is littered with time traveling vampires."

Later that night, Caroline stalks into the grill with an aggravating sigh. She stops at the bar and orders a Moscato wine, compelling the bartender not to worry about her age. After he pours a glass, Caroline snatches the bottle from his hand and tells him to put it on Damon Salvatore's tab. Sitting in an empty booth, she chugs two glasses before Stefan shows up to join her.

"If your hoping to run into Matt, you'll be waiting all night. The hostess said he's not scheduled to come in until tomorrow night," Stefan says as he slides into the booth across from the grumpy blonde.

"What?" She asks, confused, and then looks around as though just remembering. "Oh, I forgot. I guess he still works here, huh?"

"Wow, how quickly you forget the love of you life?" He says teasingly and Caroline smiles, shyly.

"Matt Donovan was not the love of my life. He wasn't even my first love. Not really. I mean, I thought he was. I thought it was the real deal. That we could've really been something," she says, reminiscing. "But, I know now that it wasn't. And, I so very grateful for that."

"Because, you might not have your daughters, otherwise?"

Caroline watches the man that will someday be her husband from across the table. She watches the controlled expression, carefully molded into one of concern. She notes the hand lying casually on the table, so, when the moment is right, he can place it comfortingly on her arm or take her hand in his. Whatever it takes for Caroline to see that Stefan cares for her and not just the information she can provide. The blonde vampire hides her smile behind a sip of wine. She knows her husband far too well.

"What are you doing here, Stefan?"

"I came to find you. I want to help you find Jo and Lizzie," Stefan explains, taken aback by her abrupt questions.

"I just searched this town up an down, and I haven't found a clue to their whereabouts. It doesn't help that they could literally be sitting in the booth next us and we wouldn't have a clue if they didn't want us to. So, there's nothing you can do for me, right now."

Stefan leans back against the cushions and looks around self-consciously. He doesn't like the idea of two powerful witches being able to sneak up on him.

"But, that's not why you're here, anyway," she adds, finishing off her glass and pouring another. "Spill it. What do you want?"

"I want information, Caroline," he finally admits. "I just got side swiped by Elena showing up from the future. Damon and I were under the impression that she was dead in your time, not a vampire."

"I never said she was dead, even though technically…"

"I know, it's my fault for assuming. So, I don't want to assume anything else. Apparently, I'm going to be face to face with my future self soon, and I want to be prepared. I need to know what to expect, Caroline. Be honest with me, do I lose all my hair? Do I become a woman? Do I die?"

Caroline laughs loudly at the joke and decides to play along. Even now, Stefan has her wrapped around his finger without realizing it.

"No. No. Yes, but not for long. We resurrect you pretty quick, because no one wants to deal with Damon without Stefan," she quips and Stefan chuckles.

"You're kidding, right? You're not kidding. Wow. Okay, I'm going to need an explanation," Stefan says when Caroline shrugs.

"It's complicated," she says and sighs. "Everything's complicated. And, now everything's different. What I tell you many never happen. And, maybe sometimes that's a good thing because we've been through some crap. Some horrible, awful shit. But, we, all of us, have been through some amazingly wonder things, too. And, I'd hate for you guys to lose all the good things because you want to avoid the bad."

"Caroline, that's for us to decide," Stefan says taking her hand in his. She glances down at the expected ploy to garner trust and sucks on her cheek. She rolls her eyes up to meet his gaze, ready to unleash one hell of rant for trying to manipulate her, but stops when she finds true compassion and concern. It's then that Caroline realizes how much she misses her husband. If he were here, he would hold her and kiss her. He would let her cry and lose her shit, and then he'd put her back together. This Stefan may not be her husband, but he's still the caring man that made her fall in love in the first place.

"I hate this," she whines. "I'm not any good at it. Explaining everything is too complicated. Last time I did this, every question I answered spurred more questions. Why aren't you asking Elena? I mean, she'll be useless for anything before sophomore year of college, but anything after…"

"What do mean, useless? Why can't she talk about anything before college?"

Caroline sighs and takes a sip from her wine before explaining. "Because she's Elena and she doesn't know how to mourn someone. She couldn't back then and she can't now."

"What? Who died? What does that have to do with anything?" Stefan asks, utterly confused. Caroline cringes as she considers how to explain to Stefan that his current girlfriend and epic love breaks his heart. That she chooses Damon over him and, upon Damon's death, Elena loses her mind. The only way for her to coupe with the lose was to erase every good memory of Damon. Which caused quiet the fuck up when Damon and Bonnie magically reappeared four months later with tales of a creepy 1994 prison world. As weird as she feels about Elena and Stefan being together in this time, Caroline can't break his heart. So, she opts for a partial truth.

"Some one dies. Someone important to Elena. Important to us all, really," she explains and tightens her hold on Stefan's hand. "Instead of mourning his death like a normal person, she had Ric compel her memories away. So, her memories can't really be trusted."

Stefan considers this new information and glances down at Caroline's hand, now cradling his own, as though her news should devastate him. He can't help but wonder who exactly died, so he asks.

"Who died, Caroline?"

"It doesn't matter," she says dismissively. "He didn't stay dead."

"Oh," he mutters with realization. Stefan connects Caroline's earlier confession of his death to Elena's inability to move on. Apparently, Stefan dies during Elena's college years and devastated by his lose, she opts to erase her memories of their life together. "So, if…this person is resurrected, why wasn't her memories returned to her. It's fairly easy for a vampire to reverse their own compulsion. And, when does Ric turn, exactly?"

"Umm, senior year in high school? Like, literally a few days before Elena. Whew, that was a mess," Caroline explains and drinks heavily from her glass of white wine. Stefan takes a deep breath in an effort to absorb the knowledge that the love of his life will die within the next couple of years.

"Wait, if Elena turns her senior year in high school, how does Ric compel her in college?"

"Because Ric was turned with the original vampire spell, which technically made him an Original and thus able to compel other non-Original vampires."

Stefan frowns before grabbing the bottle of wine from the table. He takes a big gulp and hands it back to Caroline. She smiles knowingly as she fills her wine glass, again. "See what I mean? When I say complicated, I mean complicated."

"Okay, tabling the Original conversation for now, why didn't Ric just reverse his compulsion and fix Elena's memories?"

"Because, due to a very strange series of events, Ric returned to human status before he could break the compulsion," Caroline explains and stops mid-sip when she sees the look on Stefan's face. "Which is completely unrepeatable? Trust me, when I say there is no way that it would work for anyone else."

Stefan sighs and nods his head. Placing a hand to his forehead, Stefan can't help but feel a little overwhelmed by everything. The future sounds really complicated.

"Why isn't Elena telling you this? Shouldn't you be asking her, not me?" Caroline asks, curious. Stefan shrugs shyly and hesitates to answer, but Caroline's demanding glare pressures him into speaking.

"I don't know, Caroline. She's not the same Elena that I know," he admits. "I stopped by the Gilbert house to see my Elena and it's so obvious how different they are. I filled Elena, my Elena, in on your Elena's arrival and she was shocked to say the least. She said she was going to stop by the boarding house to drop off clothes and speak with her future self. And, that really worries me."

"Why?"

"I guess I've always secretly wanted to spend an eternity with her, but I never thought she would do it. She's so pure and I hate to think of her as a vampire, because I know what this 'life' does to people. Even, the best of us are changed by it. What if Elena doesn't like the changes she sees in her future self?"

"Or worse, what if she does?" Caroline asks gently. "You don't want her to change?"

"I guess not."

Caroline remembers how hard Elena's transition was for Stefan, but he wasn't this naive. Of course, by the time Elena turned, she'd already grown up so much form the girls she is today. Partly because of the hell Stefan put her through, but still.

"Even, if she remains human in this time line, Elena will change. She's going to grow up and mature. Her dreams will change. She'll make difficult decisions that determine what kind of person she becomes. Just like you. Just like everyone else. Keep that in mind and you'll be fine."

Stefan smiles at Caroline's wise words. "I can see that. You've changed a lot, too."

"Well, two hundred years will do that to you," she laughs.

"I bet you're a great mom," he says and Caroline blushes. "Tell me something good about the futures. Like how you adopted two little girls. Did you just randomly choose two witches in an orphanage?"

Caroline's smile stretches across her entire face as she reminisces about her daughters. "No, they were family. Ric's actually."

"They're Ric's kids?"

"No," Caroline sniggers. "Jo and Lizzie are only about seventy five years or so. Ric's kids died over a century ago. See, Ric fell in love and married a woman named Jo shortly after he became human, again. They had a gaggle of kids, including twin daughters, Helen and Charlie. Now, Jo was a witch from the Gemini coven, thus so where all her kids. Eventually, Ric and Jo moved to join the rest of her coven in Portland, OR and that's where they raised their kids. Several generations later, Jo and Lizzie are born…"

"Twins, again?"

"It's a Gemini thing, every generation has a set of twins. Sometimes, more than one set," Caroline explains with a shrug. "At least, they did. Not anymore, since the girls were the last of the coven. That's how they came to live with us. Jo, Ric's wife, had a homicidal psychopath for a twin brother. He was so bad that they locked him away in this weird 1994 prison world to spend eternity."

"Prison world?"

"I don't know. You'll have to ask Damon about it. He's the one that spent four month trapped there with Bonnie," Caroline mutters as she gulps down another glass of her Moscato. "Anyway, somehow that freak escapes the prison and murders his entire family. Damon gets there in time to save the girls, but just barely. They were nine months old and had no one, so we decided to take them in."

"We?" Stefan asks, unable to help himself. He's not certain who is included in the 'we'. She smiles wistfully at him before answering coyly and motioning to the ring on her left hand.

"My husband and I."

"I hear you married the wrong immortal," says a voice at the door and both vampires turn to face him. Mason smiles at them as he moseys on over and slides into the booth next to Caroline.

"What are you doing here, Mason?" Stefan growls protectively from his side of the booth. He doesn't like how close the werewolf is to Caroline, no matter how much stronger she is than him.

"I've come to deliver a message to this beauty," he says, smiling charmingly at Caroline. She glares at his audacity and cocks her head to the side as though sizing him up.

"I'm sorry, but I don't really remember you that well. Are you important?"

"Klaus says to stay out his way. He'd hate for you to get bit," Mason says, flashing his amber eyes and long fangs threateningly. Caroline immediately scoots as far from him as she can, pressing her back into the booth wall.

"Hybrid," she growls angrily. "That's not possible."

"Oh, but it is. See, Klaus paid me a visit last night. He gave me the gift of immortality without the werewolf curse. And, all he asked in return were three things. Kill Katherine, give you his message, and protect the girls. So far, I'm three for three," Mason explains as he lifts Caroline's glass for a sip.

"You killed Katherine?" Stefan asks, disbelief heavy in his voice.

"She'll be dead soon enough. I ripped into her a couple of hours ago. It won't be long, now," he answers with no small amount of sadness for the woman he loves.

"Where Klaus, now?" Caroline asks and Mason turns back to face her in the booth.

"He left town last night, shortly after giving me my orders. He's got big plans and you're to stay out of his way, girlie."

"So, Klaus gives you orders and you just fall in line?" Stefan sneers.

"It's hybrid thing. They're all sired to Klaus, so basically their slaves. And, there's no way Klaus sent you to threaten me," she snarls. "In fact, he'd rip your heart out for even trying to scare me. So, what did he really say? Something about trusting him? To let him do whatever he has planned with my kids?"

Mason chuckles at Caroline's ferociousness. "Something like that. The point is that you should go home, back to where ever you came from and let Klaus do his thing."

When Mason dares to push a stray strand of blond hair from Caroline's eyes, Stefan snatches his arm from across the table and wrenches it down at an odd angle. Mason balks at the attack, surprising Stefan with his strength. The hybrid is quick to reveal his true face and aims to tear into Stefan's vulnerable skin. But, Caroline's quick reflexes find her hand around Mason's heart before he can claim another victim.

"I think it's time to go," Caroline mutters as she slips Mason's heart on to his lap. His grey and lifeless remains hunch over the booth table like a passed out drunk.

"Yep, let's get out of here and call your mom," Stefan agrees. "Maybe, she can help deal with this."


	11. Chapter 11

Elena parks her car in front of the boarding house and sighs. She leans back in her seat and stares at the enormous house without seeing it. She breaths deeply in order to calm her nerves, but the images in her mind aren't helping. All Elena can think about is how in the hell she's supposed to meet her future self. Her future vampire self. When Stefan told Elena about their new time traveler, she laughed. She thought it was a joke. There was no way Elena could survive 200 years. And, she was right. Technically, Elena dies at some point, but wakes up a vampire.

Of course, Elena had considered the possibility of turning over the past few months. You can't love a vampire without considering forever. But, deep down, Elena knew she'd never do it. As much as she loves Stefan, she wants to grow up and have a normal life. Apparently, that's just not in the cards for her because she is some freaky, supernatural carbon copy of psychopathic vampire. Stefan managed a quick explanation of the reoccurrence of doppelgängers throughout history, but it seems Caroline would be a better source for details. Or, why not ask this new Elena. Or, is it 'old' Elena?

 _No, that's just rude,_ Elena mutters silently as she finally climbs out of her car. Grabbing the extra set of clothing that Stefan suggested she bring over, Elena takes one final breath before entering the mansion. A few steps in and she's surprised no one's shown up to greet her. With vampire hearing, Stefan or Damon always manage to sneak up on her before she gets too far into the house. She swears Damon does it just to see her jump.

Standing in the foyer, Elena glances upward and considers calling out, but she hesitates. What if the other Elena sneaks up on her? It was creepy enough when Katherine did it. No, better to go to her. Determined, Elena stalks down the hall toward Stefan's room. It makes sense that her counterpart might be there, since that's the part of the house with which this Elena is more familiar. But, when she passes the kitchen, familiar voices catch her attention. She pauses next to the open door frame to listen.

Damon asks about gaining forgiveness for killing Jeremy and Elena scowls. He can't possibly think she'll just forgive and forget about his attempt to kill her little brother. She promised to hate him forever and her future self better be holding to that promise. Alas, a giggle from within and a suggestion to offer a cupcake as reparation indicates otherwise. And, suddenly Elena wonders if this is truly her from the future. Apparently, doppelgängers show up every few hundred years. Maybe, this time traveler is another doppelgänger masquerading as Elena. It wouldn't be the first time Damon was fooled, but Stefan should've known better.

Elena steps around the corner to stand in the open doorway intent on confronting her phony counterpart, but finds a surprising situation. At first, Elena couldn't figure out why the vampires didn't hear her enter the house, but now it's obviously due to their intense focus on each other. Future Elena sits comfortably on the counter in a mans' shirt and boxers that look far too expensive to belong to Stefan. Damon stands next to the imposter, staring at her with an expression that would make any woman quiver with need. The worst part is the slutty imposter's response to him. She actually has the nerve to shift closer to Damon and lift her face toward him as though expecting a kiss. Luckily, she quickly changes her mind and turns away from the older Salvatore brother before he can except the invitation. That's when she notices Elena at the door.

"Hi," the fraud says gently and Damon straightens as he realizes they have company.

"I'm sorry was I interrupting?" Cringing at the anger in Elena's tone, Damon shifts so that his back is against the counter and he can see both doppelgängers.

"Nope, just enjoying some cupcakes," he answers innocently, but that just seems to infuriate the younger brunette even more.

"Really? 'Cause that's not what it looks like. You know that's not really me, right? She's obviously just another doppelgänger," Elena growls looking between the two vampires. "Hell, you might just be Katherine in disguise. Wouldn't be there first time she's tricked you. Right, Damon?"

"Wow," vampire Elena murmurs as she jumps down from the counter with her hands held up in surrender. "I am sorry. No need to be jealous, I just got carried away with cupcakes. Look, I get it…"

"I'm not jealous," Elena interrupts and Damon raises an eyebrow at the accusation. "I'm just tired of people pretending to be me."

"Elena, this is really you," Damon argues.

"I'm sorry if I don't take your word for it," she says as she crosses her arms angrily.

"How about Stefan's? Or, Caroline's?"

"I really am you," vampire Elena offers. "I know it's strange and not at all the future you expected, but it's really me. Or, you, or whatever."

"If you're really me, then I should hit a barrier when I come too close just like Caroline," human Elena says as she lays the clothing in her hands on a nearby counter. Afterwards, Elena steps toward her counter part, but the vampire quickly back pedals.

"Wait, no. We're doppelgängers. We don't get a barrier. We get freaky magic stuff."

"What does that mean?" Damon asks crossing the kitchen to distance himself from the two doppelgängers.

"It's different every time, but there's always something weird that happens," the older Elena explains.

"Well, that's convenient," her counterpart quips. The vampire sighs in resignation and rolls her eyes.

"Fine," she says. "If it'll prove my identity, let's do it."

With a defiant nod, the human Elena steps forward and the vampire follows suit. Immediately, both Elenas feel a humming in the air and one hesitates. When her human counterpart pauses, Elena continues toward her. She wants to make certain no one doubts her identity. She may have gotten caught up in Damon and his cupcakes, but she'll be damned is she lets anyone else compare her to Katherine. Taking another step and ignoring the intensifying charge in the air, Elena glances at a nervous Damon with a cupcake still in his hand.

How many times has her husband offered a cupcake as an apology? She has no idea how the tradition started, probably sometime within her lost memories, but Elena loves it. No matter how mad he makes her, she can't resist an apology cupcake. It hardly ever extinguishes her anger, but it certainly helps to remind Elena how much she loves Damon. Smiling, Elena takes a final step and grasps her counterpart by the arm. The instant the doppelgängers touch, the energy all around them crackles and sparks into a bright light that blinds them.

"What's going on?" Human Elena calls, covering her eyes with an arm while her counterpart does the same. Suddenly, the light is gone and so is Damon. Both Elena's stand in the kitchen across from a third Elena, unloading the dishwasher.

"I don't know," vampire Elena whispers. The third Elena doesn't seem to hear her response, but continues with her task uninterrupted. "Wait, this feels familiar."

"What do you mean? Where's Damon?" Human Elena asks as she hurries to the kitchen door only to slam into an invisible barrier a couple steps from the door. "What the hell?"

"I remember this," vampire Elena murmurs quietly as she watches the third Elena finish with the dishes. "This is right after graduation. Maybe, a week or so."

"High school graduation?"

"Yeah," she answers with an astonished nod. "I can't believe I remember. I hardly remember anything from that summer."

Human Elena frowns at her vampire counterpart and steps closer to her. "Why wouldn't you remember?"

"The real question is how I'm remembering, now. It's like the compulsion's lifting. I remember unloading the dishes and thinking how happy I was. I could unload the dishes without worrying about Klaus, or Katherine, or any other supernatural big bad. Jeremy was alive and safe. Klaus had allowed Tyler to come home and Caroline was thrilled. Bonnie was off on some world adventure with her mom. And, I was in love and happy. I remember feeling so grateful. Then," Elena pauses as she remembers and her face lights up with joy. "Jeremy."

Jeremy shuffles into the kitchen wearing sunglasses big enough to cover his entire face. He groans as he slumps into a chair at the table. "Coffee. Please."

"What happened to you? Are you hung over? Jeremy, I have one night out with Caroline and you break into Damon's liquor cabinet? What are you twelve?"

"I didn't break into anything. You had girl's night, so we had guys night," Jeremy mutters, somewhat offended by his sister's accusation.

"You're too young to be partying with Damon," Elena complains. "Actually, you'll never be old enough for that. Just because Ric is gone does not mean you are Damon's new drinking buddy."

"I'm not! I'm just the interpreter," he jokes.

"Ric was there?"

"Yeah, we had fun. I broke Damon's arm."

"Great, now you're wrestling? So, booze, ghosts, and violence," Elena admonishes. "Want to throw in some drugs for good measure?"

"Well," Jeremy mutters sheepishly and Elena blurs to his side. She snatches the sunglasses from his face and examines his red eyes.

"Jeremy, I thought we were past this. I can't believe you're getting high, again."

"It's Damon's fault. It was his stash."

"I'll deal with him, but you're grounded. I can't believe your making me say that," she growls.

"What? It was one time, Elena. I don't have anymore and Ric already yelled at me plenty," Jeremy whines, but then reconsiders. "You know what, I don't even care. It's not like I have any plans anyway."

"Good, you can spend the day in your room sleeping off this hang over."

As Jeremy shuffles off to his room, Elena shakes her head angrily. She can't believe Damon. He's supposed to be a role model for Jeremy. Oh, the talking to she's going to give him when he gets home.

"Speak of the devil," she mutters to herself when she hears the front door open and Damon call for her. "In the kitchen."

"Hey," Damon greets her with a smile from the kitchen door, but the piercing glare from his girlfriend makes him drop it fast. "Oh, no. You have the serious frowny face on. This does not bode well for me."

Elena just quietly stares at him as she crosses her arms over her chest. She wants him to suffer and Damon knows it. So, he tip toes into the room and sets a little white take out box onto the counter. Elena glances at it in confusion, but decides to ignore it. She won't let him distract her from her anger.

"Before we jump into whatever it is that has you all riled up into that sexy little tizzy, I want to give you this," he says opening the box to reveal a large cupcake.

"A cupcake isn't going get you out of trouble, Damon," Elena admonishes with an insulted tone.

"That's not why I brought it, Elena. I didn't even know I was in trouble until I got here," he says, shifting closer to place his hands on her arms gently. Elena instinctively deflates slightly at his touch.

"Then, why'd you bring it?"

"Because, I thought you'd like it," he admits as he rubs her arms up and down. "I didn't realize Blondie could bake that well. Sheriff Forbes decided a bake sale would be a good excuse for the council to meet and Caroline can't help herself."

"Yeah, she told me last night that it would be the best bake sale to ever grace Mystic Falls," Elena says with a smile.

"I don't know about the sale, but the cupcakes were delicious."

Elena stares up at Damon as he smiles back. Somehow, he's gotten so close that she can feel the heat from his body. His crystal blue eyes watch her with pure devotion and she can't help, but surge with love for this man. "So, you just brought me a cupcake because you thought I'd like it?"

Damon picks up the cupcake and offers it to his girlfriend. "Am I not allowed to do that?"

Elena takes the treat with a shy smile as a blush spreads across her face. Damon seems to love the sight of her because his grin grows. "It's just unexpected. And, sweet."

"Mmmm," he murmurs with raised eyebrows. "You don't like sweet?"

Elena shifts back onto her heels and rolls her eyes at her boyfriend's antics, but the smile stays on her lips because she also loves them. Damon steps closer, forcing Elena to back up against the counter and he watches her with his smoldering eyes without touching her. Elena shakes her head playfully and takes a small bite from the cupcake, inadvertently smearing icing on her cheek.

"Wow," Elena mutters in surprise as she forgets about Damon's overwhelming presence for a moment. "This is good."

Damon's jaw drops as his sudden dismissal. A moment ago, he thought he was going to get angry kitchen sex, but now Elena's more interested in the damn cupcake. "Note to self, Elena likes cupcakes. Correction she LOVES cupcakes."

Elena giggles at his comment and his obviously offended pride. "I'm sorry, but this is really good."

"I know. That's why I brought it home," he agrees and wipes the icing from her cheek to lick from his finger. And, suddenly, Elena's focus returns. He can see the desire boiling up and he leans down to close the deal.

"Elena. Elena! Wake up!"

Suddenly, Elena is slammed back into reality and the only thing that keeps her on her feet is Damon's hands on her face. Both Elenas stand in the center of the kitchen were they initially touched, but Damon is shaking her awake. When she finally returns to the real world, she sucks in a surprised gasp and the older Salvatore's distinct smell of bourbon and leather overwhelms Elena's senses. For a moment, all she can see is Damon's blue eyes staring into her soul as relief floods his face. His gentle grip on her cheeks send shivers down her spine and her eyes fall to of his tempting lips. Realizing the danger she's in, Elena steps back and out of Damon's reach.

"What just happened?" Elena asks huskily, glancing at anything but Damon. She finds her vampire counterpart lost her own private celebration as she dances happily in a small circle.

"You tell me," Damon answers with an odd glance at the overly happy vampire Elena. "You two touched and it was like both your lights went out. You guys just stood there like empty shells. Neither of you responded to anything I said, so I started shaking you to see if that would wake you up. I was this close to calling for back up. Whatever that was, it was creepy and freaky, so don't do it, again."

"But, we have to," the older Elena exclaims. "It was a memory! I actually got one of my memories back!"

"That was real? Like, it actually happened?" Elena asks. Watching the memory unfolded was one of the strangest experiences of her life. It was like watching a movie play out right in front of her. It was living theatre except nothing she did interfered with the show. The strangest part was watching herself interact with Damon so intimately. She was openly flirting with Damon and he was trying his best to seduce her. It was like a game for them and it made Elena extremely uncomfortable to know that she could allow herself that much familiarity with her boyfriend's brother. She could've sworn that future Damon was about to kiss her future version. But, she's not certain, since she woke up too early to tell. She hopes that it didn't happen. To lead Damon on like that is wrong, and suggesting she'd betray Stefan was worse.

Those are the thoughts rolling around in Elena's mind, but a small, nagging whisper reminds her of Damon's very sweet gesture. He brought her a cupcake, simply because he thought she'd like it. It was such a small and innocent act, but she could tell it meant a lot to the other Elena. And, for an instant, this Elena remembers how much this Damon has done for her. Between protecting her from stray vampires at high school dances, rescuing Stefan from tomb vampires, protecting Sherif Forbes from powerful witches, and saving the town from the same tomb vampires, Damon's proven to be a good friend.

 _Until he got his feelings hurt and killed my brother,_ she mutter silently and suddenly her favor toward the older Salvatore brother dries up.

"Yeah, I remember it all, now," vampire Elena answers with a giant grin. "I remember every second, like I never forgot it. So, we have to do it, again. There are so many memories I'm missing."

"Wait," Damon interrupts with a confused frown. "Did you guys just share a memory or something? And, why are you missing memories?"

"Yes, that's exactly what happened. It was like I was reliving it. I felt every emotion and remembered every thought that I had at the time. It was amazing."

"It wasn't like that for me," the human Elena argues. "I didn't feel anything. It was like watching a play or a movie unfold."

"That's because it wasn't your memory. It was mine," the older vampire explains, placing her hands to her chest.

"It was a memory that you forgot? How?" Damon asks.

"I don't know. Obviously, it has something to do with me time traveling and us being doppelgängers. I told you freaking magic stuff happens when we get too close. Usually, it's just lightening or gusts of wind, but this is the first time my past self was human. So, maybe that has something to do with it…"

"Yeah, but how did you lose your memories to begin with," Damon corrects her impatiently.

"Oh, I…" Elena pauses and cringes at the idea of admitting to Damon that she voluntarily compelled all her good memories of him away. "Well, the thing is…"

"You were compelled," the younger Elena offers.

"No, if she were compelled as a human, she would've gained all her memories back during transition. Examples include blondie and her unyielding hatred toward me."

"Rightfully so," Elena sneers and Damon smirks at the comment.

"Actually, I was compelled as a vampire to forget," the older Elena explains.

"I thought vampires couldn't be compelled?"

"They can't," Damon confirms.

"How long has Caroline been here? She should've already filled you in on this," Elena complains.

"Caroline has told me nothing about the future even though she promised to dish. Just like you did. So, time to pony up, Elena."

"Original vampires can compel other non-Original vampires," Elena explains.

"What the hell are Original vampires?"

"Klaus and his family are the Orginals. They were the first vampires ever created over twelve hundred years ago. Or, I guess a thousand years, now."

"Klaus? The super old hybrid that wants you for his creepy sacrificial ritual?" Damon asks with great annoyance that this information was only now being shared.

"Oh, so Caroline did tell you something."

"Barely," he growls and turns toward the living room. "I need a drink."

He pauses a few steps from the door and motions for human Elena to exit first. "I need you two to observe the ten foot rule, so find a comfy spot on the far side of the room."

Human Elena rolls her eyes before shoving her way through the kitchen door and into the living room. She shuffles over to the far window and glances out into the night sky. A few minutes later, Damon has a fresh drink in hand and vampire Elena sits in a sofa chair. Damon watches Elena stare out the window and lets slip a small smile at the sight of her standing it the moon light. He can tell she's struggling with something and wonders if it's about the future she saw.

"What was the memory about?" He asks, turning back to the older Elena. He has a feeling she'll be more forthcoming. From the corner of his eye, Damon sees his Elena twirl to face them.

"It was about you, Damon," vampire Elena admits with a chuckle.

"Really? Was I naked?" He asks teasingly. He didn't really expect a 'yes' for an answer, but a small ray of hope nagged at the back of his mind.

"Sadly, no," she answers with a faux sigh before answering seriously. "You just gave me a cupcake."


	12. Chapter 12

**AN:** I want to thank everyone reading this story for tuning in regularly. A special thank you to those that have reviewed. You guys are AMAZING! I can't tell you how nervous I was about Chapter 11, but I wanted to address some of your questions. Your questions and comments are great. They keep me on my toes and remind me to address things I hadn't considered. As we continue this journey together, never hesitate to review with questions, otherwise I may forget to address them. I easily get distracted and wrapped up in all the drama of my storyline and forget to address some important aspects of character development.

Also, remember that future Elena, Damon, Caroline, and Stefan have 200 years of baggage. In comparison, consider all that's happened in the 8 years on the tv show. It's going to take a while for me to rifle though it. And, I absolutely refuse to just unload everything at once. That's not fun to read and it's so unrealistic. Not that sexy vampires are realistic in any way, but that's not the point. If there is something you absolutely need addressed right away, leave a comment and I will try to address it ASAP. At least partially, if not completely.

 **Guest:** Assuming you are the same guest that's left reviews on almost every chapter. THANK YOU! I can't tell you how motivating it is to know that people are enjoying my story. It inspires me to write and keep updating regularly because I don't want to leave you guys hanging. Regarding your latest review, I absolutely agree. I love vampire Damon and hate the idea of him being human. But, keep in mind that Damon changed from the moment he met Elena. Not because he wanted to or Elena demanded it, but because that's who he wanted to be. In my opinion, Damon wanted to be a good man and he wanted Elena. But, being good is hard and it didn't guarantee him Elena's love. You see him struggle with his dark impulses and self-destructive tendencies in Season 2. I don't think Damon every truly believed he'd win Elena from his brother, but he still wanted to be a better man. Elena just gave him a reason to pull himself up and out of that dark place. She helped him realize that he could do it. I think that's why he reverted so quickly in Season 5 when Katherine screwed everything up and he thought Elena broke up with him. He wanted to prove that it was Elena that changed him, not a decision he made for himself. Later in Season 5 when they are hiding out at the cabin, Damon touches on the fact that he's holding himself together despite Enzo's death and without being with Elena or trying to win her over. Again, that's just my opinion on Damon's character. I don't know if it'll come up in my story.

I also hated the cure arc completely, but I loved how it ended in Season 4. A human Katherine was just genius! Evil Laugh. And, in Season 6, I feel it was only used to make Nina Dobrev's departure and eventual return possible. Because I am first and foremost a Damon fan, I almost wished they'd killed Elena off (gasp) and allowed Damon to deal with her death and then move on. We probably could have gotten a few more seasons that way. Don't get me wrong and don't flame me, please. I think Delena is one of the best love stories EVER, but I hated how it ended. Although, I LOVE the Season 6 finale. Their dance makes me cry every time I watch it. Maybe, they should've just ended it there? But, then we wouldn't have all our lovely Steroline….

 **ScarletRose:** You rock! Never hesitate to review and raise these types of questions. You have some very valid points that I hadn't considered, yet. For the most part, I think you'll be happy with how I foresee this story progressing. I'm glad you enjoyed older Caroline and younger Stefan's odd dynamic. I hadn't planned on it. It just kind of developed naturally when writing their scene. I can't wait until future Stefan arrives. I always loved Stefan's calm balance to Caroline's neurotic, control freak tendencies. I can't wait to see how that changes after 200 years and kids.

Yes, things kind of break off from the show early season 6. I'm hoping to reveal some key differences soon, but not sure when they'll be relevant, just yet. I love your interpretation of Damon's desire to take the cure with Elena, and her refusal to take it for him. But, I see the cure in Season 6 as purely a way to accommodate Nina Dobrev's departure. I don't think it would have come up again if she'd stayed on or they opted to kill Elena off like they did Katherine. BUT, I absolutely agree with your characterization of Delena. Both Damon and Elena would do anything and/or sacrifice anything for each other. The character growth you described will manifest a little differently in this story, but I think you'll like it. Their commitment and devotion to each other is very important to me, so it's going to play a big role in how their relationship developed over 200 years.

I'm glad you like my hybrid twist. I plan to explain Klaus and his ability to create hybrids in Chapter 13. Fair warning, I don't watch the Originals and know very little about what's currently going on in New Orleans. I tried watching it, but got bored during Season 3. Therefore, I'm going to be very selective of what I pull from the Originals tv show. I will stay true to anything Original related on TVD, though.

You're right, Caroline is being very critical and judgy of Elena. That's one reason their relationship is on the rocks. And, you've reminded me that Elena is in fact more self-destructive when mourning than harmful to others. So, it must take something really big to push Elena of the rails (hint, hint). Remember, they've got 200 years of history.

 **Amazing Aisha** , **kfulmer7** , **Diva** , **DreamtoAspire** , **Devaki** , **Impossible-Fairytale** , **Pepper'n'salt** , , **DelenaTheOneAndOnly** , **Imarifirst** , and **cutiepattorie** , thanks for all your reviews and constructive criticism. You guys are awesome!

I hope everyone enjoys this chapter.

Elena stands in front of the dark window of the boarding house and watches a 200 year old vampire version of herself laugh and joke with Damon Salvatore. Her laid back, fun demeanor perplexes the young Elena. Not that Elena doesn't consider herself fun, she just doesn't see how she could ever find a way to forgive Damon for trying to kill her brother. Obviously, vampire Elena has moved past the unforgivable act, and human Elena doesn't like it.

She doesn't understand, because every time Elena looks at Damon, she's slammed with the overwhelming loss and fear that she felt during the hour that Jeremy was dead. It was like reliving her parent's death all over again, but worse. She relives that moment ever time she sees Damon and she hates that he made her feel that way. Elena knows that he regrets killing Jeremy, if only because he regrets hurting her. He's been very clear about that. But, for just a second, Damon wanted to hurt her. He wanted her to feel the same pain he felt at her rejection. He supposedly loves her, but Elena knows that isn't true. Damon doesn't know what real love is; he doesn't know how to love anyone. Because, you don't hurt the ones you love. You protect them. So no, Elena doesn't understand how or why vampire Elena could've forgiven Damon Salvatore. And, honestly, she doesn't really care to know.

"A cupcake? Like the ones we were just eating?" Damon asks, confused as to how a memory of cupcakes could be so exciting for vampire Elena. "No offense, but it sounds like a lame memory to remember."

The older Elena watches Damon shrug and take swig of his whiskey. She rolls her eyes and scoffs at his typical guy response. "It doesn't matter whether it's lame or not, it's a memory. And, I got it back!"

"Because, you lost all of your memories to a vampire-compelling Original?"

"I didn't lose them all," Elena argues playful as she stands from her chair and shuffles to the liquor table in front of Damon. "Just intermittent memories between meeting the Salvatore brothers and the beginning of my Sophomore year at Whitmore."

"Ugh, Whitmore?" Damon groans, taking another sip from his glass of bourbon. The burn did little to wash the sour taste from his mouth at the mention of Whitmore. "Couldn't do any better?"

"Hey," Elena complains at his snide comment and snags the glass from his hand as retribution. "I had to stay close for Jeremy. And, my boyfriend."

Damon balks at Elena's high speed theft of his bourbon, but the teasing smile on her tantalizingly lips makes it worthwhile. He'd give her a liquor store worth of bourbon if she'd keep looking at him like that. Better yet, maybe should could get his Elena to do it. Anything's better than the silent, fuming glare human Elena is sending him from across the room. The expression is oddly similar to the one Bonnie used when she made Damon's head explode at the mayor's wake. And, the pain from it was almost as bad as the sucker punch vampire Elena just threw him.

 _Boyfriend, right._ Damon murmurs silently. _Of course, the Stefan and Elena epic romance would continue into college. High school sweethearts that literally last forever._

But, that's to be expected. His Elena has made it clear that it will always be Stefan. At this point, Damon is okay with that as long as she doesn't spend an eternity glaring and hating him. He glances at human Elena, again, as a reminder that angry, pissed off, I-hate-Damon Elena is far worse than understanding, forgiving, I-just-want-to-be-friends Elena. He's fully prepared to accept what he can get from the woman of his dreams, and he's surprised to find her no longer glaring at him. Instead, she's biting her lip in contemplation and staring, but not really seeing.

"How does that work exactly? Is it gaps in your memory? Do you know when a memory is missing?" Elena finally asks and Damon wonders what's on her mind.

"Umm, for the most part, I can tell when something isn't, right. Not always, though. Like the cupcake memory, I had no idea it was missing. Damon's always brought me cupcakes when I was upset, but I didn't realize I'd forgotten how it started," Elena explains and Damon lifts his head in surprise. So, her earlier suggestion to give Elena a cupcake was from a long standing tradition between them.

 _Interesting_ , he whispers silently to himself.

"But, I thought compulsion changes things. Like for Jeremy, when Daman compelled him to forget about Vicky's death. He was different afterwards. He was happier, I guess," the young Elena says. She steps closer to her counterpart, eager to understand. Elena feels like she's on the brink of something and she needs her vampire version to confirm her suspicions. So consumed by her thoughts and agenda, Elena doesn't notice the air humming as she moves closer to the other doppelgänger.

Vampire Elena instantly recognizes the tell-tale sign that her younger version has stepped too close. She instinctively wants to move back and respect the laws of magic, but Elena selfishly opts to remain planted. One memory is a fluke, but a second memory is a trend.

"Yes, compulsion changes things. And, this was major compulsion that altered a lot of things in my life at the time. I can't always trust what I remember because many memories I still have are rewired. The 18th birthday I remember was me, Jeremy, and Alaric on the couch watching movies all night. In reality, I spent my birthday here at a giant party that Caroline planned. Alaric spent the night pretending to chaperone and drinking with Damon, while Jeremy was getting high with Matt. At least, that's what I've been told."

Vampire Elena watches her counterpart accept the new information and nod. She's no longer edging closer, but she hasn't noticed the almost silent crackle in the air, either. So, the older vampire steps closer and moves as though she's going to comfort her younger version.

"It's okay. It sucked at first and it was really confusing. But, it was almost 200 years ago. I've made new memories since then."

Damon watches the two brunettes interact in his living room. He smirks at the vampire's obvious ploy to slip closer to his Elena. He considers stopping her, but he's too curious to see where this lands. Besides, he's learned more about the future in last hour of conversation than the 24 hours with Caroline. At first the humming in the air seemed as harmless as it did in the kitchen. But, when the humming deepens to crackles, Damon frowned. He glances around the room for signs of danger. His curiosity is definitely not worth endangering Elena. Either one, really. But, his Elena is far less durable than her future version.

The fragile version of Elena doesn't notice the humming or the crackling. It may be due to her less than vampire senses, but mostly it's because she's too lost in her own thoughts. She just found out that in a few years her memories will be drastically altered. Not just wiped out, but rewired into something different. If her memories and experiences define Elena, then who is she without them? Is that why her future version is so happy and carefree? Is she a d completely different person?

 _It's not real,_ Elena says silently. She remembers a conversation with Damon a few weeks ago. He'd chosen not to compel her when given the chance because he wanted his trust in her to be real. Compulsion would've tainted everything like it's done with future Elena's memories.

"The memories and experiences I have now are important. They've shaped me, helped me fall in love, changed my relationships with family and friends. How can you be okay with losing them? Do you even know what you've lost? Do you even remember why I hate Damon? Is that why you've forgiven him? Because, you don't remember how he killed Jeremy?"

Elena's anger toward her older counterpart fuels her to close the remaining space between them and suddenly the quiet crackling deepens into a loud rumble. Lightening from the chandelier above arcs through the room and strikes the door frame into the kitchen. Splitters explode as Damon stumbles back from the blast and the girls jump in surprise. On his feet, Damon realizes the doppelgängers' close proximity is too dangerous, so he decides to move his Elena to a safer distance. He blurs toward the girls only to be blasted back by another lightening strike. When he slams into the wall and slips into temporary death, human Elena cries out and covers her mouth in surprise.

"Damon!"

Vampire Elena glances at Damon's crumbled form, but isn't concerned. Lightening hurts like hell, but can't kill a vampire. Instead, she grabs the other Elena's arm to stop her from running to Damon's aide. A flash of white later and the girls are standing in a completely intact version of the living room. A third Elena walks in from the foyer and looks around as though looking for someone.

A swirling rush of emotion bombards the vampire and she struggles to understand. Slowly, the memory unfolds within her mind and another puzzle piece slips into place. "I remember this."

"So, do I," the other Elena admits. "It was a few weeks ago, when Damon was still trying to open the tomb. I came to convince him to work with us. To let us help."

"I wanted him to trust me," vampire Elena says, but shakes her head in confusion and a bit of frustration slips into her tone. "Why was it so important that he trusted me? I'm missing something important. What is it?"

"I don't know," human Elena shrugs, but a heavy pit in her stomach and guilty ache in her heart hints at her lie.

Finding only an empty room, the third Elena rushes into the study to find Damon slipping on his leather jacket. Upon seeing the older Salvatore brother and the offhanded look he sends her, Elena grows anxious and nervously tugs off her scarf. Can she really convince him to play along?

"I'm going to have to change the locks," he mutters as he grabs Emily's grimoire off the table. "Did you stage a jailbreak?"

"Stefan," she answers with a shrug.

"Ah, brother. Ever the white knight," Damon responds with an annoyed tapping of his fingers not the table.

Vampire Elena smiles as the memory plays out and she inspects every detail of the experience. She picks up on Damon's masked relief at seeing Elena alive and free. She also notes his not-so-hidden jealousy of Stefan playing white knight. The eldest Elena remembers being kidnapped, Stefan rushing to save her, and then deciding to open the tomb if only to destroy all the vampires inside. She remembers balking at the idea of living with the threat of some old vampire, like Anna and Damon, showing up to unleash the starving vampires. So, they decided working with Damon to open the tomb would kill two birds with one stone.

Elena also remembers Damon threatening to turn her when Stefan refused to hand over the grimoire at the graveyard, but she doesn't remember why Damon seemed so betrayed at finding them with it. She's definitely missing something, and she doesn't like that her younger counterpart lied about it. Damon once told her that he'd agreed to work with Anna to open the tomb when she threatened to hurt Elena. Does that have anything to do with her missing memory? It's probably why Damon seems slightly miffed that his brother saved the girl and not him, even if Damon's main focus is to save Katherine from the tomb.

"I convinced Bonnie to help you," Elena says.

"I doubt that," Damon quips back and vampire Elena wonders at his angry response. Shouldn't he be ecstatic that to have a witch willing to open the tomb? She glances questioningly at the other Elena watching the memory play out, but the younger brunette looks away guiltily.

"I'm not going to say that I'm sorry that we got the grimoire without you last night, because I'm not, really."

"Well, at least you're honest."

"I was protecting the people I love, Damon. But, so where you, in your own twisted way. And, as hard as it is to figure, we're all on the same side, after the same thing."

"Not interested," Damon answers dismissively and turns to walk away.

"Yes, you are, because you were willing to work with us yesterday," Elena argues and he turns to face her with a vindictive quip.

"Fool me once, shame on you."

Vampire Elena cringes at his obvious attempt to hide the pain of her betrayal. The guilt on her human counterpart's face tells Elena that somewhere along the line she'd betrayed Damon's trust and while the third Elena doesn't yet understand the significance of such an act, the two older doppelgängers do.

"Okay, when we were in Atlanta, why didn't you use your compulsion on me?"

Instantly, vampire Elena straightens at the mention of Atlanta. She holds her breath, hoping to catch something, anything about the fated trip as Damon slams the grimoire onto a nearby table in frustration.

"Who's to say I didn't?"

"You didn't," Elena answers with only a small pause and Damon raises an eyebrow at her uncertainty. She stares at him for a small moment before reaffirming her faith in him.

"I know you didn't. But, you could have," she says confidently and slowly steps closer to Damon, who has his arms crossed as though guarding against her emotional advances. "You and I, we have something. An understanding. And, I know that my betrayal hurt you, different from how it is with you and Stefan. But, I'm promising you this now. I will help you get Katherine back."

Damon groans at her declaration and rolls his eyes. He isn't stupid. There's a reason he doesn't trust people and last night Elena reminded him why. No apology or pleading for forgiveness is going to convince him to try, again. No matter how adorable Elena's brown doe eyes look, right now.

"I wish I could believe you," he taunts and to his surprise Elena removes her vervain necklace and places it not he table.

"Ask me if I'm lying, now."

Vampire Elena watches Damon consider the offer and she frowns. Her Damon's never mentioned compelling her for the truth. Compelling her to forget him, he's definitely done that a couple of times. But, never to tell the truth.

"You know Anna won't stop by the way, no matter what I do," Damon reminders Elena as he's steps closer.

"Then, we'll deal with it." She takes a deep breath, mentally preparing for the compulsion to come. What if he compels more than just the truth from her? No, Damon wouldn't do that to here. They have an understanding, remember?

Much to Elena's surprise, Damon bends down and picks up the necklace with a shake of his head. He slowly slips it back around her neck and explains.

"I didn't compel you in Atlanta because we were having fun. I wanted it to be real. I'm trusting you. Don't make me regret it."

As Damon walks away, vampire Elena smiles sadly and tears fill her eyes. She closes them to strengthen the dam. For the millionth time over the last two centuries, Elena regrets giving up her memories. She regrets being too weak to handle Damon's death and has a much better appreciate for his anger at her upon his return. If their situations were reversed, could she have forgiven Damon for destroying everything good from their past?

This was the first time Damon had trusted someone in half a century. It was a mile marker in not only their relationship, but Damon's growth as a person. Trusting Elena, lead him to trust Stefan, Alaric, and eventually Bonnie. Even, the weird relationship he has with Caroline descended from him learning to trust, again. And, she threw away this beautiful memory. What else has she lost without even realizing it?

 _What happened in Atlanta?_

When Elena opens her eyes again, the girls are back in the destroyed living room of the boarding house and Damon lies undead on the ground. Human Elena quickly rushes to check on him. Damon's shirt is a burnt ruin and there are scorch marks on the wooden floor, but his wounds from the strike have already healed.

"He's okay," she says to her vampire counterpart.

"Of course, he is," she responds, glad to still be holding the glass of bourbon she stole from Damon. The older vampire sits on one of the large couches, making sure to keep her legs together given her attire. "Lightening strikes aren't any fun, but he'll wake up shortly. Tell me how we betrayed Damon? Why was he so angry in that memory?"

"Why do you care?" The younger Elena asks in exasperation. "How have you forgiven him for what he did to Jeremy? Whether you remember or not…"

"I remember," she admits, interrupting the human fit. "I'm a vampire, so my memories that aren't affected by the compulsion are very clear. Finding one memory, a single moment, within two centuries of moments, can be difficult. But, when I find it, the memory is as clear as day. Like, it happened just yesterday."

"But, you remember it? Then, how…"

"I remember Damon sitting on my bed and wallowing in pain. Katherine had broken his heart all over again that night and he came to me for something, anything that could dull the pain of her betrayal. He shouldn't have. He shouldn't have come to my home and expected me to betray Stefan that way because I loved Stefan. But, Damon wasn't thinking about me. He was thinking about himself. He just wanted me to help make the pain go away, but I only made it worse. So, he lashed out. He lashed out in typical Damon fashion and hurt me in an unforgivable way. I have no idea how or why I eventually forgave him. Because, I only remember hating him. Until one day during Sophomore year, suddenly everyone was telling me that I didn't hate him. That somehow I had forgiven him for the horrible, awful things he'd done since I'd known him. They tried to remind me of all the good things, but I didn't remember them."

Vampire Elena pauses for a moment and her human version frowns unhappily at the explanation. It wasn't enough, so the vampire decides to giver her more. Perspective could do a world of good.

"I do, however, remember Damon killing Jeremy. I remember in vivid detail the sound of his neck breaking and his body falling lifeless to the ground. I remember the pain and horrible loss at being alone. Up until then, it was the worst moment of my life. But, I was human, so the emotions stemming from that memory are dull compared to when Katherine killed Jeremy."

"What?" the younger Elena gasps. "Katherine kills Jeremy? Wha-Why? When?"

"After I turned, Katherine fed him to a 2000 year old starving immortal and he broke Jeremy's neck," Elena explains, taking a long sip from her bourbon. She seems to savor the burn and concentrates on the physical pain to maintain a distance from the emotional pain of her memories. "That time, it took a almost a day for the shock to wear off. But, when it did…oh, my God."

Tears well up in both girls eyes when the vampire meets the human's gaze. The younger Elena covers her mouth in horror and stumbles backward until she finds a wall to lean against as her future self continues.

"You see, as vampires, all our emotions are amplified. So, when I realized Jeremy wasn't coming back, the pain and loss was overwhelming. I couldn't breathe, or think, or function beyond the pain. It was, by far, the worst moment of my life, at the time. And, it wouldn't pass. I just knew that I as was going to feel that way forever. And, I do mean forever. So, yes, I remember when Jeremy died. I remember every time he died. But, thankfully, I remember every time the ring brought him back. And, every time Bonnie brought him back. Until one day, when Jeremy was an old man and surrounded by grand babies and great-grand babies, he died gently in his sleep."

Human Elena smiles at her future self and wipes away the tears on her cheek. "Really?"

"Yeah, and it hurt that last time, too. But, a little less I think," Elena answers with a comforting nod as she wipes at her own tears and gulps down the last of her drink.

"So, yes, I remember when Damon killed my brother. And, I don't remember when I eventually forgave him. But, I watched _my_ Damon keep Jeremy alive until the ripe old age of eighty-three. He risked his life and, sometimes, the lives of others to save Jeremy countless times. So rest assured, _my_ Damon earned my forgiveness. But, _your_ Damon still has some work to do, I think."

"How are you so certain that I'll eventually forgive him? Because you did?" Elena asks in disbelief, eyeing the crumbled Damon on the floor.

Vampire Elena smiles and nods her head. "Once Damon's under your skin, he's hard to shake."

Suddenly, Caroline and Stefan barge into the front door and into the living room.

"We have a problem," Caroline announces loudly and pauses when she notices the damage. "What happened here?"

Seeing the mess, Stefan instantly rushes to his girlfriend's side and takes her into his arms protectively. Caroline frowns at the display of affection, but bites her tongue. She reminders herself that this isn't her Stefan.

"Why are you wearing Damon's clothes?" Stefan asks, staring at the future version of his girlfriend with a seriously unhappy frown. He even considers kicking his brother's prone body. "And, why is Damon unconscious?"


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

"I brought a set of clothes for you, but I think I left them in the kitchen," Elena admits shyly and points toward the kitchen door at her back.

"No worries, I'll find them," the other Elena says jumping up from the oversized couch to set her glass on a nearby table. She shuffles out of the room, opting to go through the foyer and the hall, so as to avoid moving too close to her counterpart.

"Seriously, why is she wearing Damon's clothes?" Stefan asks with an overly stern frown. Elena shrugs innocently and shakes her head, which doesn't help Stefan at all.

"Just be thankful that she's wearing clothes at all," Caroline grumbles with a dismissive wave of her hand. She steps into the living room and inspects the damage, recognizing the pattern of destruction. "Was this lightening? Did you two get too close?"

"Wait, what is that supposed to mean?" Elena asks. She's not certain if she should be offended by Caroline's insult or worried that she's going to grow up to be a nudist.

"Well, I'm assuming there wasn't a thunderstorm in your living room…"

"No, I mean the comment about her clothes," Elena clarifies.

"Oh, let's just say, I've spent way too much time as your roommate over the years," Caroline mutters as she crosses her arms over her chest. "And, keeping your sex life confined to your bedroom is not one of your greatest skills."

"Oh," Elena mumbles as her face burns red and she leans into Stefan to hide her face against his broad shoulders. "Sorry."

Stefan chuckles at Elena's embarrassment and squeezes her tighter. Elena's always been a passionate lover, but she's never expressed a desire for anything too adventurous. He's not sure how he should feel about this change. It seems almost disjointed from the Elena he knows. Stefan glances up at Caroline in time to see her sour expression darken possessively before she looks away. Intrigued, Stefan watches the blonde take a deep, calming breath, while looking anywhere in the room other than at Elena and him.

"Like you're one to talk!" The other Elena howls from the kitchen and Stefan can hear her tugging on her clothing on the far side of the kitchen. "If I remember correctly, Friendsgiving 2017 was ruined because you and your new husband broke the oven."

Caroline's eyes grow big as she jerks her face toward the kitchen. "Oh, and who nearly ruined Alaric's wedding because you and the best man just _had_ to go for a roll in the hay, instead of lining up to walk down the aisle?"

Stefan quirks his head slightly as he considers Caroline's comment. He wouldn't really consider Alaric Sultzman a friend at this point, more of an acquaintance. It's interesting to know that they will eventually grow close enough for Alaric to ask Stefan to be his best man.

 _It's strange how much things can change over the years_ , Stefan muses silently.

"Yeah," Elena says with a big smile as she appears in front of the foyer. "That was definitely fun. I mean, I do feel bad for slowing down your perfectly scheduled wedding, but we were celebrating. "

Caroline rolls her eyes and shakes her head admonishingly, but the hint of a smile on her lips tells Elena she understands. During the months leading up to Ric's wedding, Damon and Elena struggled to find the love and passion that she'd thrown away after his death. Damon kept expecting more from Elena and constantly tried to reminder her of memories she'd lost. This frustrated Elena because she couldn't give him what he desperately needed. She'd grown to care for him quicker than she expected given the horrible things she remembered, but Elena felt disconnected from the person everyone claimed she was before the compulsion. It was at the wedding, greeting all the guests, that Damon and Elena had a breakthrough.

Elena expressed her feelings of inadequacy regarding her memories and emotions and Damon promised to move past the loss of their memories. Instead, he vowed to make new ones with her to rival anything they'd lost. And, that was when Elena truly fell for Damon, again. He understood that his desire to recapture something they'd lost was harming Elena, so he stopped. He just walked away from the memories that he cherished so much, in order to make her happy. And, true to his word, Damon never tried to instigate another lost memory. Of course, Damon being Damon, he never hesitated to use her poor decision to wipe him from her mind to his advantage. Even two hundred years later, she's not surprised when a smart ass remark referring to her colossal mistake slips out. But, that's just Damon and one of the many reasons why she loves him.

"I know," Caroline says with a slight sadness in her eyes. "It was a beautiful day for everyone, I think."

Elena's grin falls slightly as she remembers all her loved one that were happy to be a part of the wedding; Bonnie, Jeremy, Matt, Ric, Jo, and Tyler. They are all gone, now. Liz Forbes didn't even survive long enough to attend the wedding. Elena looks at Caroline's solemn face and she knows that her best friend is remembering the death of her mother just weeks before Ric's wedding. It was one of the hardest deaths the group of friends had to endure because, at that point, Liz Forbes was the only parent left to the three girls, Bonnie, Elena, and Caroline. Worse, there was truly nothing anyone could of done to save her from her fate, short of turning her before the cancer ever appeared. But, maybe that's the answer. Maybe, Caroline can save this world's Liz Forbes.

 _Maybe,_ Elena considers the idea and decides to discuss it with Caroline in private at their first opportunity.

"What were you celebrating?" Stefan asks with an amused smile, referring to Elena's explanation for her tardiness to Ric's wedding. Caroline's alarm bells rip silently through her mind as she runs through everything she and Elena just revealed. Did she call Damon by name? No, Stefan wouldn't be smiling if that was the case. But, this Stefan is still in love with Elena, so he wouldn't be smiling about Elena having celebratory sex with anyone.

 _Unless, he thinks he's the one having barn sex._ Caroline's eyes widen in realization and she glances at her Elena in warning, but too late.

"Just that we decided to move on from the whole memory wipe issue. We decided to focus on making new memories rather than wallowing about the ones we lost," Elena explains with a loving smile as she swells from the memory. Her counterpart standing at Stefan's side slips her hand into his and glances at the younger Salvatore brother with a shy smile.

"That's beautiful," she whispers and Stefan smiles back at her. Vampire Elena frowns at the exchange as she realizes that the happy couple think her memory is about her relationship with Stefan and not his brother. She turns away from the epic lovers to find Caroline shooting her a very clear warning to shut up.

"You have't told them?" Elena accuses her long time friend and sister. "You've been here for almost 24 hours and it never came up?"

Caroline growls at Elena to shut up and then smiles at her younger version and Stefan when they look up in confusion. "Don't worry, we're just having a little difference of opinion."

She rushes over to vampire Elena and pushes her toward the foyer. Luckily, Damon starts to stir and Caroline uses the opportunity to shuffle Elena to the kitchen. "Oh, look. Damon's awake!"

"What is wrong with you Caroline?" Elena complains loudly after Caroline turns on the faucet and the blender to mask their conversation. "Why wouldn't you tell them that Stefan and I broke up?"

"Why does it matter?"

"Don't tell me it hasn't come up, Caroline. Any conversation about the future is going to center around your relationship with Stefan, not to mention your kids."

"I've just avoided discussing the future in general. Any mention of my husband has been causal and nondescript," Caroline explains guiltily.

"That's not going to work for Damon," Elena argues, throwing her hands up. "I've promised to answer all his questions. And, what I have explained was unfiltered. I've probably already spilled the beans without realizing it!"

"Think, Elena. Have you said anything to confirm that you and Stefan are not together anymore?" Caroline asks imploringly as she grabs Elena's hands. The brunette stares at her sister for moment, considering everything she's said since arriving in this time line. This is the first time in half a century that Caroline's been willing to speak to her so openly, never the less ask her for help. Elena doesn't want to lose the opportunity to repair their fractured relationship.

"No, I don't think so. But, I haven't made any attempts to hide my fondness for Damon, either. That's probably why the other me was freaking out so much about forgiving him. She doesn't know that I fell in love with him, that we are married. Why don't you want to tell them?"

"I know we have to tell them," Caroline admits, dropping Elena's hands and turning away to put some space between them. She paces across the kitchen anxiously and runs a hand through her hair. "I was going to do it. But, this Stefan is so in love with that Elena. How can I tell him that his epic love ends in about a year? Especially, now that they think they'll be together for another 200 years?"

"By explaining to Stefan that he gets to spend the next 200 years with the love of his life," Elena offers as she places a comforting hand on Caroline's arm to stop her anxious movement. "That the love you guys share is a hundred times more epic than anything he and I had together."

Caroline meets Elena's gently brown gaze and smiles appreciatively. She's missed her friend and sister over the past few decades. She wishes this Elena would finally come home, so everything can go back to the way it was when everyone was happy.

"I'll tell him. Just not right now. I can't bare to break his heart, yet."

"You have to tell him before our Stefan and Damon arrive because there is no way I'll be able to pretend not to be in love with Damon. I haven't seen him in six weeks, Caroline." Elena says seriously and then her eyes loose focus as though she's only seeing her imagination. "I've got so many dirty, dirty things planned for him. I don't even know where to start."

"Oh, my God," Caroline mumbles with a muffled giggle and rolling eyeballs.

"Seriously, I don't even think I can wait until we're alone. I'm just going to rip his pants off and we are going to go at in on the ground where ever we happen to be. You guys are just going to have clear out or risk being scarred for life."

"Okay, that's enough. I take phone sex isn't as satisfying as the really thing?"

"Phone sex? I wish we were having phone sex. Damon is extremely good at it. Well, he's good at every kind of sex. But, he's totally cut me off," Elena complains with a frustrated sigh. "I didn't even know that was possible."

"Why?"

"Because, he's just as horny as I am. That man has never denied me sex. I mean, not that I'm any better, but…"

"No, why has he cut you off? I thought you guys talk every day?" Caroling interrupts as she leans against the counter, next to the sink. Elena is suddenly very glad that she slipped the cupcakes back into their hidden spot above the fridge when she was in the kitchen to change clothes earlier. If Caroline finds out that Elena raided her stash of cupcakes, there will be hell to pay. But, those cupcakes were so worth it.

"He wants me to move back to Mystic Falls," Elena explains. "He refuses to come home, claiming that he is home and it's me that needs to come home."

"But, you haven't caved, yet?"

"No, and I'm not going to. I'm sorry, Caroline, but I have no desire to move back to Mystic Falls," Elena says with a stern frown, expecting the blonde to argue. Much to her surprise, Caroline just nods with a slightly confused brow.

"Okay."

"What?" Elena questions expression that clearly means Caroline is hiding something.

"Nothing, we'll circle back to this later, I think," she says and motions to the kitchen door. "We've got more concerning matters to deal with. Remember, don't let anything slip about you and Stefan. I will deal with that later, but before our Stefan and Damon arrive."

"Fine."

"And, stay away from this Damon. I know you. You gravitate toward home like a moth to a flame. If you act all lovey-dovey with him in front of Stefan, he's going to figure it out."

"This isn't my Damon. I wouldn't cheat on him," Elena growls defensively.

"I know that. I'm not suggesting you would. I'm saying he is Damon and you enjoy Damon's company. You have fun with him. But, this Elena doesn't. She still denies feeling anything for him. And, I know you. Just standing next to Damon, you'll touch his arm or lean against him or do something totally inappropriate without even realizing it. I'd do the same thing with Stefan if we spend too much time together or stood too close. For this ruse to work, we have to keep our distance."

With a resigned sigh and a shake of her head, Elena consents and follows her sister-in-law out the door after turning of the faucet and blender. The girls hustle into the living room and the two Elenas are careful to maintain a 10 foot distance from each other.

"Where's Damon?" Future Elena asks when she realizes Damon isn't in the room anymore.

"He went to change his clothes, since they were damaged by the lightening strike," her counterpart explains.

"So, you two did get too close," Caroline says with an admonishing glance at vampire Elena. "You know better than that."

"They were experimenting," Damon explains as he returns to the living room through the foyer wearing a fresh outfit. Unfortunately, the electrical shock had some unexpected side affects on his hair. Try as he might, Damon can't get rid of the static charge standing his hair on end. Every time he runs a hand or brush through it, his mane lies flat for only a moment before slowly ascending into madness, again. Elena laughs audibly and attempts to step closer to him with a raised hand to touch Damon's outrageous hairdo. Caroline immediately grabs Elena's arm and tugs her as far away from the older Salvatore as the room will allow, while stifling her own giggles. Damon flashes the girls an unamused sneer.

"Experimenting with what?" Stefan asks, not bothering to hide the grin on his face as he watches Damon's hair dance.

"I'm more interested in hearing what you two where talking about in the kitchen? Seemed like you where rushing off to discuss what secrets to keep from us," Damon accuses the two vampire girls to his left. They stand in front of the large window with the moon at their back and glance at each other nervously.

"We were," Elena finally admits and Caroline scoffs at her honesty. "There are just some things we are not comfortable discussing with you guys, yet."

"Why not?" The other Elena asks from Stefan's side. Her tone is slightly offended, but Caroline can tell she's trying to understand.

"Because, somethings we don't want to talk about or relive," Caroling explains and it was true enough.

"Bullshit," Damon growls. "You guys have the luxury of knowing every twist and turn in the road ahead, so you don't get to keep secrets because something's not fun to talk about."

Elena frowns at Damon' response and bites her cheek as she considers his comment. She's not use to him disregarding her feelings on a topic, but this isn't her Damon. No, this Damon is focused on protecting his Elena at all costs. And, that means getting every bit of relevant information about the future as possible.

"I thought you of all people would understand that there are certain things in our past that we don't want to discuss," Caroline says snidely and Damon shrugs antagonistically, causing an odd shift in his statically charged hair.

"Nope, I'm an open book."

"So, why don't you tell us about the 1950's, Damon?" Elena says and grimaces at the stillness that descends upon him. It's like she slapped him. But, he recovers quickly and meets her gaze with a masked smirk. Elena watches him consider calling her bluff and he even opens his mouth to speak. But, Elena's next comment stops him in his tracks.

"What about your visit to Mystic Falls in 1995? Do you want talk about that?"

Damon's mouth slams shut and he stumbles back like she really did slap him. After a moment, he gathers himself and sticks a brooding sneer on his face like he just doesn't care anymore. He runs his hand through his aggravatingly untamed hair before shuffling over to the liquor cabinet to pour a double.

"What happened in 1995?" The younger Elena whispers in Stefan's ear, but he just shakes his head with a meaningful look to drop the subject.

"Oh, just another day in the life of psychopath with no redeeming qualities," Damon mutters with a mocking smirk toward the long haired Elena. Even she can see the guilt hiding under his cold expression. Elena glances at her older version to find the vampire watching Damon through her own veil of guilt.

"So, what can you tell us about the future?" Stefan asks, changing the subject.

"What do you want to know?" Caroline asks with a faux smile in an effort to calm the tension.

"How about hybrids?"

"Oh, right," the blonde seems to jump as she remembers the reason she and Stefan rushed over from the Grill. "Mason Lockwood is a hybrid. Or, he was. He's dead now."

"What?" Vampire Elena asks. "That's not possible. Klaus can't make any more hybrids."

"Woah, Klaus can make hybrids? When were you planning on sharing that juicy tidbit?" Damon complains, jiggling his glass at Elena.

"It doesn't matter because he can't do it anymore," Elena argues, but Caroline shakes her head.

"Obviously, he can because he turned Mason Lockwood last night before leaving town."

"You're assuming it was the Klaus from your time that turned him. How do you know it wasn't the Klaus from this time that did it?" Stefan asks, stepping away from his girlfriend to participate in the discussion.

"Because, your Klaus hasn't broken the curse, yet," Caroline offers. "He's still just an Original vampire until he breaks the curse."

"You mean the curse that requires Elena as a blood sacrifice," Damon mutters.

"That's the one!" Elena responds with a sarcastic smile and he frowns at her flippant response, but his expression just looks odd under his wild hair. Elena's smile drops when she sees Damon isn't amused and she shrugs at him.

"How about you explain this curse that Klaus wants to break, or has broken, or whatever," the younger Elena offers.

Caroline sighs and wraps her arms around her waist before explaining. "The Originals were a family of Vikings back in the day…"

"That lived here, of all places," Elena adds as she attempts to shift closer to Damon and his liquor cabinet, but Caroline tugs her back in place at her side.

"Yeah, they lived here along with a bunch of werewolves. Klaus, his four siblings, and his 'father'," Caroline says with quotation marks, "were turned into the first vampires by Klaus' mother and Original witch. Eventually, Klaus killed someone and triggered the werewolf gene, which revealed his mother's indiscretions with a local werewolf."

"Ohh, scandalous," Damon mutters with an obvious pout behind his glass of bourbon. Both Elenas shake their heads at his antics, but only one finds him adorably amusing. Caroline just rolls her eyes at Damon's typical behavior.

"So, the Original witch used their generation's doppelgänger blood to bind a spell that repressed his werewolf nature. Klaus killed his mother in a rage and then spent 500 years looking for another doppelgänger…"

"Wait, what happened to the doppelgänger used to make the spell? Did it kill her?" Human Elena asks, obviously concerned for her ancestor.

"I think Elijah killed her or something, didn't he?" The other Elena tries to answer, but turns to Caroline for confirmation.

"Yeah, that's one of Klaus' brothers. I think they had a love triangle go wrong. That must be a doppelgänger thing."

Vampire Elena shrugs at the observation like it's old news, but her younger version squirms uncomfortably at the mention of Damon's feelings. Stefan stiffens and Damon sucks on his cheeks in annoyance.

"So, what does it have to do with Elena?" He finally asks.

"Because, Klaus had to sacrifice me in the ritual to break the curse," Elena explains.

"Along with a vampire and a werewolf," Caroline adds, but it doesn't calm the tension that suddenly fills the room.

"That's how I die? I'm murdered on an alter?" Elena asks in an alarming tone that sends Stefan to her side as she bends over to fill her suddenly vacant lungs.

"It's okay, Elena. We're not going to let that happen," he whispers comfortingly and rubs her back gently.

"Well, that's one way I died," future Elena says nonchalantly and everyone looks at her in confusion. "I've died a few times. And, once I don't even remember."

"What are you talking about? Is that some kind of joke?" Stefan asks in an aggravated tone.

"No, I've been drained completely, drowned, and blown up. You can thank Klaus for the first one and I'm kinda glad I don't remember the last one."

"And, the second one? The one were you drowned," Elena asks. For some reason, she takes solace in the fact that she dies the same way she would have died with her parents, last year.

"That one stuck," vampire Elena answers seriously and then smirks. "Sort of."

"I'm going to ask the obvious question of how you managed to die so many times and still look as good as you do," Damon asks with tip of his glass. His hair seems to be calming just a bit, since it's lying flatter than before.

"Bonnie magic," both Elena and Caroline answer.

"Note to self, don't piss off Sabrina, the teenage witch."

"If the curse was broken, why can't the Klaus from your time make any hybrids?" Stefan asks, getting things back on track.

"Because, he needs blood from a living doppelgänger to turn a werwolf into a hybrid. So, after I died, no more hybrids."

"Why didn't he go after Katherine? He could've broken that curse 500 years ago and saved us all a lot of trouble," Damon asks.

"He did," Caroline explains. "The night before she was scheduled to be sacrificed, Katherine stole some vampire blood and killed herself. She didn't realize how long Klaus can hold a grudge. That man is what we call obsessive…"

"You should know," Elena mutters with a teasing smile that earns a glare from her blonde friend and a few raised eyebrows.

"Anyway, Katherine spent the next 500 years running from Klaus…"

"That's why she faked her death 1864," Stefan says with realization and Caroline nods her head.

"Yeah, and that's why she's here, now. That's why she brought a werewolf with her and turned me into a vampire. Once she finds the moon stone, Katherine will have everything your Klaus needs to break the curse."

"She's going to barter for her freedom, that sneaky slut," Damon growls.

"I told you, she wasn't her for me," Stefan throws at his brother.

"Oh, she's definitely here for you, too. Katherine's greedy like that," Elena says with a snicker and Caroline waves her hand to re-capture everyone's attention.

"It doesn't really matter either way because before I killed him, Mason claimed to have bitten Katherine earlier today."

"Hah! Problem solved," Elena laughs with a big, vengeful grin that makes her younger counterpart uncomfortable. "That bitch is dead, now."

"You're happy that someone is going to die?" Stefan asks, obviously off-put by Elena's murderous desires. He worries about the changes vampirism seems to have instigated in his girlfriend.

"I'm happy that _Katherine_ is going to die. If she's not dead already."

"It needs to be done," the younger Elena agrees and everyone looks at her in shock. "She kills Jeremy."

"What?" Damon asks. "Like, I killed Jeremy or for real?"

"For real," Caroline explains. "At least, it was a few months before Bonnie was able to bring him back and the fact that she did was a complete surprise. So, for a while there, Jeremy was dead and he wasn't coming back."

Stefan rubs Elena's shoulders and she leans against him for comfort as everyone takes in the announcement. Damon watches the odd expressions flittering across the younger doppelgänger's face for moment and she actively avoids his gaze. Not until he's about to look away does she finally glance at him. To his surprise, it's gratitude in her eyes, not the blame and hatred he expects. Of course, she quickly clamps down on the gentle expression and returns to her cold shoulder.

Annoyed and confused, Damon opts to return to the topic at hand. "Two questions: how did Klaus turn Mason into a vampire-werewolf freak show if he's not supposed to be able to do it? And, is there any chance Katherine is going to find a cure for a werewolf bite. Let's face it, if any one is wily enough to find one, it's going to be Katherine."

"She's definitely a cockroach like, but not this time," Caroline says with a small smile. "There's only two known cures for werewolf venom…"

"Wait," the short haired Elena interrupts with her hands held out. Something suddenly occurred to her when Damon asked his questions. Something alarming. "Klaus needs human doppelgänger blood to make hybrids."

"Yes, but you're dead," Damon says slowly as thought speaking to child. "So, how'd he do it?"

"But, she's not the only doppelgänger," Stefan echoes the older Elena's thoughts as he shifts to face his girlfriend. "Could he have gotten your blood somehow?"

"No," the long haired Elena answers and tugs self-consciously at the sweater covering both arms. "I think I'd know if someone stole my blood."

"Are you sure?" Caroline asks. "Do you have vervain in your system?"

"I have my necklace," Elena argues as she places a defensive hand on the chained jewel.

"A necklace that I lost… too many times to count," vampire Elena counters and her younger version pouts defensively.

"I haven't lost it."

"Yet."

"Okay, let's assume Klaus didn't pay Elena a midnight visit," Damon begins, but his Elena quickly cuts him off.

"Which he didn't. When would he have had time? I've been with Stefan or someone else 95% of the last 24 yours."

"When you were alone with Stefan he could've compelled Stefan, too. Getting an invitation into your house would've been easy if Jenna is still around and clueless about vampires," Caroline explains.

"No," Elena argues, rubbing her sweater covered arms anxiously. "No, I'd know if something like that happened."

The vampire, Elena, and Caroline glance at each other, acknowledging the human doppelgänger's odd behavior and the sweater hiding her arms.

"What else could allow Klaus to make hybrids? What about his freaky daughter, Hope?" Damon asks, running hand through his currently unmanageable hair.

"What about her?" Future Elena asks.

"Well, she's the daughter of a hybrid. There has to something magical and freaky about her. Unless, she's an adoptive daughter like Caroline's murderous angels."

"No, she's his bio daughter," Caroline clarifies. "And, there was a time when she could make hybrids, but she lost that ability when she chose to bind her werewolf curse. She's already immortal, so there was no reason for her to consider dying to turn into a true vampire or hybrid. And, she didn't want to have to suffer through the change every month after she killed someone or the first time. So, she just repeated the same curse on herself that her grandmother inflicted on her father 1200 years ago."

"So, Hope is a witch slash vampire slash werewolf, but her werewolf side is bound and she isn't dead like other vampires?" Stefan asks, very confused.

"Exactly, and she doesn't have to drink blood. Really, its' the best of each world. And, I'm only slightly jealous," Caroline admits.

"So," Elena says turning back to her human version and clasps her hands together. "That means there's only one explanation for Mason. I'm going to need you to take that sweater off."

"What? Why?" The long-haired Elena asks, horrified by the the idea of removing a layer of clothing. She grasps at the sleeves as thought they are life lines.

"Because, your acting oddly attached to the sweater, Elena," Stefan explains calmly and places a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"Don't!" Elena yells, shoving his hand away, and jerking back from him.

"Elena," Damon says, steeping forward in concern.

"Stop! Don't come any closer!"

Both Salvatore brothers stop in their tracks at the command and glance at each other in concern. Simultaneously, they turn back to the two female vampires and shrug.

"Really?" Elena complains at their pitiful attempt to subdue the woman they both love.

"Good God, you two are hopeless," Caroline rolls her eyes before vamp speeding to the younger Elena's side and snatching the sweater off of her shoulders. The blonde gently pins her friend against the wall and yanks her arm out for all to see. Once the band-aids are revealed in the crook of each arm, Elena's compulsion seems to wear off and she stops fighting Caroline's firm grip.

"Oh my God," she murmurs in disbelief. "How did this happen?"

"Compulsion," Caroline explains as she releases her. "He probably made a bee-line straight for you last night. If Stefan was with you, he was compelled to forget."

Elena tugs the band-aids off to find small bruises on each arm. She suddenly feels very vulnerable and afraid. She glances at Stefan and he pulls her into his arms, but, for once, his tight embrace does nothing to ease her anxiety.

Caroline watches Stefan wrap his arms around Elena and stiffens, but slowly forces herself to relax. She can see the guilt and blame Stefan is inflicting upon himself for failing to protect Elena from the 1200 year old hybrid. It's written all over his handsomely broody face, and again, Caroline is reminded of why she loves this man so much. Or, the older version of him.

Damon watches Elena lean into Stefan, lying her face against his shoulder showing the room her anxiety and fear. He frowns at his little brother's inability to protect the woman they both love. Damon would've torn that house apart to protect Elena, no matter the odds. His jaw works back and forth as he considers the damage he would've wrought on this 'Klaus' for daring to set his sights on his Elena. His fury boils up from deep within and Damon has the sudden urge to kill someone, to rip out someone's throat and drain them dry. He wants to bath in human blood and revel in the power of his conquest. Damon gulps the last of his drink before slamming down the empty glass. Just as he's about to leave, the older Elena captures his attention.

"Werewolf venom," she blurts and everyone turns to her in surprise. Elena watched Damon's anger surge to the forefront. She could see it in his stance and expression. Every inch of him suddenly screamed for murder and mayhem. While her husband is far more stable than this current version, his bouts of homicidal rage still occur on occasion. Even, the best vampires struggle with the bloodlust and Elena is no exception, so she catches the suddenly change in Damon's demeanor instantly. Usually, the brunette soothes her husband with kisses and gentle caresses. Given the right circumstances, eventually their bloodlust twists to forceful kisses and rough sex that leaves both participants intertwined in blissful release.

Unfortunately, this Damon is not her husband and, much to Elena's frustration, she cannot calm his bloodlust in such a manner. So, she hastily tries to distract him in a different manner. With knowledge she knows he won't pass up.

"You asked about a cure for Katherine."

"To keep her from it, yes," Damon says, eyeing vampire Elena suspiciously. Her sudden outburst almost seemed like a ploy to keep him from leaving. Does she know what he intended to due? He narrows his eyes at her and she smile mischievously in response. Suddenly, the bloodlust is replaced by a flutter of butterflies as her gorgeous smile is directed at him.

Meanwhile, Caroline slips away from the happy couple to rejoin Elena on the opposite side of room. She admonishes the short-haired brunette with a glare and Elena's smile disappears obediently. "Don't worry. Katherine is the last person in the world that can get her hands on a cure for werewolf venom."

"Well, just for kicks and giggles, why don't you share with us what the cure is," Damon suggests sarcastically as he pours another drink.

"It's not going to do you any good," Caroline mutters, but her sister-in-law jumps to Damon's defense.

"Yeah, but if anyone needs to know the cure, it's Damon."

"What does that mean?" Stefan asks with his girlfriend still wrapped in his arms.

"Yeah, why me?"

"Because, for some reason you're werewolf bait. You've been infected like a hundred times," Caroline complains.

"Six times," Elena corrects with an amused smile. "Infected three times by laced bullets, once by spike bourbon, and twice by actual bites."

Damon looks at the glass of bourbon in his hand and smells it. With a shrug, his sips it happily.

"So, what's the cure?" Human Elena asks, finally stepping out of Stefan's arms.

"Well, one cure is Klaus' blood," Caroline explains "That's why there's no way Katherine's getting her hands on it. He'd gladly watch here die and dance on her grave afterwards."

"He can join the club," Damon mutters with a smirk and Elena smiles at him. The younger doppelgänger catches the small movement and frowns. She agrees that Katherine needs to die, if only to save Jeremy, but her counterpart's ease with Damon is growing increasingly bothersome.

"And, the other?" Stefan asks, oblivious to the exchange between his brother and vampire Elena. He's more bothered by Katherine's impending death than he'd like to admit.

"The other is my girls. And, since they want Katherine dead, too…"

"Why do they want Katherine dead?" Elena asks, having not heard that tidbit, yet.

"We don't know," Stefan admits.

"What do you mean they are the cure? Is it a spell? Can they teach it to Bonnie?" The younger Elena asks.

"No, it's not a spell. It's a…skill that they have," Caroline answers hesitantly. When she feels Elena stiffen at her side she turns her head to find the brunette seething with anger.

Elena steps toward the alcohol, ripping her arm from Caroline's grasp when she tries to stop her. Vampire Elena steps in close to Damon to pour herself a drink. Holding her full glass up toward Caroline, she toasts Jo and Lizzie unkindly. "They're _special_."

Stefan is surprised by the venom in the older doppelgänger's words. He's never seen this Elena harbor that match bitterness and hatred for anyone, except for Katherine. Although, his Elena doesn't seem to feel that way, even knowing her part in Jeremy's death. He looks at his Elena to find her just as uneasy about her counterpart's behavior. Without taking his eyes from her, Stefan wonders again at the changes vampirism seems to have caused in his epic Love.

Damon sees right through Elena's show of anger and bitterness. He watches the pain and sorrow hidden underneath and wonders who she's mourning, and what that loss has to do with Caroline's kids. He wants to hold her and reassure her that what everything she's feeling will pass, but this isn't his Elena. Hell, he can't even do that with his Elena. But, he has to do something, so he glances at Caroline.

The blonde seems resigned to Elena's emotions, but less sympathetic. Honestly, she seems impatient and on the verge of yelling. Maybe, this has something to do with why they've been fighting. But, Damon doesn't want another cat fight to break out and, honestly, he doesn't want Elena sulking. He'd much rather see her smile, again.

"So, Elena, what exactly did you do my car?"

With her glass to her lips, Elena chokes on her bourbon and grimaces as her throat and nose burns. Her anger is instantly replaced with anxious guilt.

"Your car? What happened to your car?" Stefan asks, confused by sudden change in topic.

"Yeah, Elena, tell him what you did to his precious Camaro," Caroline says in sarcastic excitement. She's thrilled with the chance to dig at Elena. While not as satisfying as one of their screaming matches, it's much more entertaining for her. Caroline is the queen of catty in any century.

"Um," Elena sputters as she nervously places her glass on the table. She finally looks up and faces Damon with an apologetic grimace. She opens her mouth to explain, but notices the less than tame appearance of his hair. Out of habit, she reaches up and runs her hands through his hair in an effort to calm the last bit of static charge.

"You know, it's just not important in the long term of things," Elena explains nervously as she calms the hair framing his eyes and drops her hands to his shoulders to run down Damon's arms.

Caroline realizes her mistake the moment Elena reaches to touch Damon's hair. It's a classic calming technique the brunette uses when Damon's mad, and Elena probably doesn't realize she's doing it, yet. Glancing at Stefan and human Elena, she can see the frowns forming and suspicion growing. So, Caroline attempts to discount the display of affection.

"Don't try to distract him, Elena," Caroline admonishes with a meaningful glare at her sister-in-law, but Elena refuses to look away from Damon.

Elena's guilt is obvious and she hates it when Damon's mad at her. The loss of his car was a real issue between them and she still carries the weight of her guilt. He loved that car. That's why she destroyed. At the time, she wanted Damon to hate her and stop chasing after her. And, it worked for a little while.

"I had my switch off, and you and Stefan wouldn't leave me alone. So, I stole it and dropped it off a freight liner in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. I did it to make you mad, so you'd leave me alone. I'm sorry," Elena blurts out with a pleading expression as she places her hands on Damon's chest. "It just seemed like a good idea at the time and I'm so sorry."

Caroline rubs her face in exasperation at Elena's intimate touches. With a bracing sigh, she glances at Stefan and Elena expecting to find nothing good. To her surprise, they aren't watching Damon and the other Elena anymore. They are staring at each with worry. Elena is holding Stefan's arm anxiously and he's looking at her with an equally concerned expression.

"My humanity?" She hears Elena whisper to her boyfriend and Caroline sighs in relief. Obviously, this Stefan and Elena are still way too focused on the vampire aspect of future Elena and the possibility of living without her humanity has distracted them both from the inappropriate touching. Caroline rolls her eyes at the younger version of her husband and his 'epic' love. She'd almost forgotten the level of denial those two lived in.

Meanwhile, Damon is heaven. If he had known one question would've earned this kind of attention from vampire Elena, he would've pressed harder for information when she was still wearing his shirt and boxers. When she runs her fingers through his hair, Damon is stunned like deer in headlights. He stares at her as she nervously tries to explain. He's not even listening when he realizes that she isn't nervous because of the touching, but because she has to explain herself. She's worried that he's going to be mad at her. That's why she touching him, caressing him, running her fingers over his chest. Like it's something she does everyday.

When she stops speaking, Damon has no idea. All he knows is that Elena's hands are on his chest and she's gazing up into his eyes like he's her whole world. Damon has no idea what expression is on his face. Honestly, he has no idea what planet he's on. He can still feel the warmth of Elena's fingers in his hair, but he can't for the life of him feel what the muscles of his face are doing. That may be why Elena suddenly jerks her hands from Damon's chest and straightens. Her face flushes red and she vamp speeds into the kitchen. His chest feels cold without her hands against him and Damon sucks in a breath. He'd hadn't realized he wasn't' breathing until now and his lungs burn for oxygen. A moment later, Elena reappears with a tasty treat from the kitchen as reparation.

"Cupcake?"


	14. Chapter 14

AN: Just updated to fix some grammatical errors and descriptions. No major differences.

* * *

Chapter 14

"You found my cupcakes?! Those aren't for you two," Caroline complains as she reaches for Elena and tugs her away from Damon. He snatches the cupcake from Elena's open hand before she leaves him behind. Damon watches her shuffle away and back to Caroline's side of the living room. He wants to follow her across the room but doesn't dare. This Elena is far more affectionate toward him than he'd ever expect from his Elena, especially after she vowed to hate him forever. Slowly, something akin to hope sprouts within Damon that perhaps the future of his relationship with Elena is far less one-sided than he assumed.

Stefan runs his hands over his girlfriend's arms in an effort to calm her, but it doesn't seem to be working. Elena is extremely rattled by the idea of living without her humanity. And, honestly, so is he. Stefan has a hard enough time coping with the idea of Elena as a vampire, subtracting her humanity makes it even harder. But, the future Elena obviously has her humanity intact, now. So, that's something.

"It's okay, Elena," he whispers. "You're here and whole. Things have changed drastically because of the time portals. You don't have to become of a vampire. You can stay human and whole."

Elena takes comfort in her boyfriend's words and curls into his broad chest for safety. But, once again, that familiar warm embrace seems hollow as she glances at her future self.

"Thus, when the time comes, you can choose _not_ to dump my car into the crushing depths of the ocean," Damon quips with mouthful of cupcake. When both Elenas turn to him with amused smiles, he shrugs nonchalantly.

"Yes, that's the important part of this discussion. Your car," Stefan chides with a condescending shake of his head. Elena wraps her arms around Stefan's waist to calm him and smiles into his chest. They are both right. Things don't have to happen the way they did for her future version. She can learn from those mistakes. She just has to find out everything she can about the future and learn what to avoid.

"What's with the cupcake?" Stefan asks, having missed the older Elena's display of affection and bribe.

"Oh, it's just a thing between Elena and I," Damon answers with a mischievous smirk and waggles his eyebrows at the brunette vampire. She rolls her eyes but can't help the smile that escapes.

Human Elena scoffs at the insinuation and pulls away from her boyfriend to place her hands on her hips and glare at Damon. "It's just a thing that starts shortly after graduation with one of Caroline's bake sale cupcakes. Apparently, Damon does something sweet for the first time in his entire existence and decides to capitalize on the gesture for the next two hundred years."

"Still sore about that Jeremy thing, I see," Damon mutters as he pours another glass of bourbon. "Would it help if I gave you a cupcake?"

Elena's frown deepens before she opens her mouth to tell Damon where he can shove his cupcake, but Caroline cuts her off with an irate question.

"You told them about the cupcakes?" Caroline glares at her long-time friend with a meaningful expression. "What else have you told them?"

Elena shakes her head soothingly, hoping to reassure her sister-in-law. "Nothing. I didn't plan on telling them, but I had to explain it after that…memory…blast…thing happened."

"What?" Stefan asks, echoing Caroline's confusion.

"Memory blast?"

"Yeah, that's not a good name for it," Damon remarks with a sip from his glass and then absentmindedly rubs his chest as though reacting to a phantom pain. "How about 'memory strike'? What with the lightening and all."

"You were really struck by lightning?" Stefan echoes. "Like 'really struck' or 'standing nearby struck'? What was it like?"

"Like a cool breeze on a hot summer day. What do you think it was like?" Damon scowls at his little brother's curiosity. "It hurt like hell. And, there was a slight burning sensation."

"That's just the start of what can happen when doppelgängers from different timelines get too close. But, you knew that Elena, so why did you do it?" Caroline asks with an admonishing glare at her sister-in-law.

"It's my fault," the younger brunette admits drawing Caroline's attention. "I wanted proof that she was really me and not another doppelgänger pretending."

"And, Caroline, I am so glad we did, because I got a memory back," vampire Elena announces with an excited grin. "Well, actually I got two."

"A memory? What do you mean?"

"Two of the memories I lost to compulsion. When I touched her, I was suddenly reliving it. I felt everything, thought everything, remembered everything from each moment. Now, it's like I never lost it."

Caroline stares at her friend with confused awe. "What? How's that possible?"

"What memories did you get back?" Stefan asks, curios to hear about his future with Elena. Maybe, some of her lost memories of him are ones he hasn't experienced with his Elena, yet.

"The one about the cupcake and another when I convinced Damon that we'd help him open the tomb," the younger Elena answers with a glance at Damon. The older Salvatore meets her gaze thoughtfully, but doesn't comment. Instead, he sips at his bourbon in silence.

"Oh," Stefan murmurs in surprise. Shouldn't Elena's lost memories be of him and their life together. Why do they include Damon? Did Elena erase more than just Stefan from her mind? Given the current animosity his Elena has recently expressed toward Damon, it makes sense that if Stefan were to die and Elena wished to forget her life with him, she'd want Damon gone, too. Maybe, she had both Salvatore brothers erased from her mind. Of course, that would prove beneficial for Damon. The older Salvatore would probably do anything for a clean slate with Elena, right now. Is that why the future Elena is so friendly with Damon? Has she forgotten all the crap he's pulled?

 _Of course, that explains it,_ Stefan grumbles to himself silently behind a deep frown. Elena notices the sudden shift in her boyfriend's demeanor and places a comforting hand on his arm. Stefan returns her concerned expression with a tight-lipped shake of his head and she sighs in response, but lets it go.

"How do you know which memories returned?" Caroline asks, hoping that it's as simple as her future Elena blabbing her big mouth off.

"Because I saw them, too," human Elena explains. "I mean, not like she did. At least, not the first one – with the cupcakes. The first time it was like watching a movie. I didn't feel or relive anything. But, the second one was different. It was our conversation about the tomb and I did relive that one. It was like an out-of-body experience rather than a movie."

"I felt like I was reliving both of them," the vampire Elena added.

"The first one was your memory," Damon says, pointing to the brunette from the future and then shifting his finger to land on her younger version as he continues. "The second one was yours."

"As much as I hate to agree with Damon," Caroline says with a dramatic eye roll that makes the older Salvatore brother smirk. "He's right. This weird doppelgänger thing is unpredictable. Add in the fact that one of you is human and the other a vampire, and you've got a really weird, uniquely powerful situation. It sounds like the energy that you two generate from your close proximity is manifesting in memory flashes which is breaking your compulsion one memory at a time. Theoretically, if you can find the key memory, the one that was used to solidify the compulsion, and break through it…domino effect."

"Really? Are you sure?" Elena asks with excitement that Caroline hasn't seen since the accident half a century ago.

"Well, no, but it's my best guess," the blonde answers with a shrug and smile.

"What are a witchepedia?" Damon asks, throwing his arms out dramatically.

"My kids are the most powerful witches in the world, Damon. You think I would adopt twin girls and not research their heritage?"

"Caroline has read every witch book and grimoire that she's come across in the past century," Elena explains with a proud shoulder bump toward the blonde. "She's our resident magic expert."

"Those who can't do, teach…" Damon snickers as he pours another drink. Caroline frowns at him with a mock glare but doesn't respond.

"Can we control the memories?" Elena asks from Stefan's side.

"The memory strikes," Damon offers.

"Whatever you want to call them," she concedes with an eye roll in the older Salvatore's direction. "Can we decide which memory to recall?"

"I don't know," Caroline answer with contemplative sigh. "What were you doing or thinking when you touched? Maybe, there's a correlation?"

"That makes sense," vampire Elena responds, eagerly placing a hand on Caroline's shoulder. "We were eating cupcakes in the kitchen and, right before we touched, I thought about how many apology cupcakes Damon's given me over the years."

"FYI, it's a lot," Caroline adds with a pointed look at Damon. "Like thousands."

"Thousands?" Damon repeats with sarcastic disbelief.

"You do a lot a of stupid things," the blonde explains with a catty smirk and Stefan chuckles at the barb.

"At least, some things never change."

"What about the second memory," vampire Elena asks her counterpart. "If that was your memory, you must've triggered it somehow."

"Maybe, I was upset about your compulsion," the other Elena tries to answer as she considers everything that happened recently. "And…yes…yeah, I thought of that night just before we touched."

"So, think about Atlanta," the short-haired brunette says suddenly, and her counterpart looks at her strangely.

"What?"

"That memory mentioned something about Atlanta, and I want to remember it."

"You don't remember Atlanta?" Damon echoes in a hurt voice that garners a scowl from Stefan.

"What exactly happened there?" The younger Salvatore growls.

"I don't remember much from that day. I know that I had a car accident and that Damon rescued me from the crash, but I don't remember it. I also know that eventually I came back to the boarding house to speak with Stefan. That's when I learned that I was adopted and that Stefan's had been stalking me for six months," Elena explains with a teasing smile toward her former lover.

"I wasn't stalking…" Stefan murmurs quietly, earning an 'I think you're adorable' smile from his girlfriend.

"So, think of Atlanta and let's do this!" Elena says to her younger counterpart with big grin, but a raised hand makes her pause.

"Wait," human Elena commands. "I want a memory first. "

"What?" Caroline asks, voicing the older Elena's confusion.

"I want to know more about the future so that I can learn from it and avoid making bad decisions," the younger Elena explains.

"Like destroying my car."

"Or, losing my humanity," Elena offers in opposition to Damon's remark. "You give me a memory of the future and I'll give you a memory of the past."

"Fine with me," the brunette vampire shrugs and steps closer to her counterpart, but Caroline stops her.

"Are you forgetting the conversation we just had in the kitchen?"

"Oh, right. I'm sorry, Caroline, but you can't expect me to give up the chance to get my memories back because you want to keep this stupid secret? For what? A few days?"

"You could just tell us your dirty little secret. Then, you won't have to worry about lying," Damon says with a smirk. "You both suck at it, anyways."

"I take that as a compliment, thank you," the blonde snaps at the older Salvatore before turning back to her oldest friend. "Of course, I can't ask you to give up your memories, but there has to be something…"

"You can't tell them," vampire Elena suddenly demands from her counterpart. She's now looking directly at her younger version from across the room and Caroline follows her lead and turns to stare imploringly at human Elena.

"Tell who what?" She asks hesitantly.

"Anyone, anything," Caroline sputters anxiously.

"You can't tell anyone what you see in the memories," vampire Elena explains calmly. "At least, until we say you can. A few days maybe."

"Because there's something you don't want everyone to know?"

"Right," Caroline confirms with a head nod and glances nervously between the two brothers.

"You mean there's something you don't want us to know," Damon correctly interprets the blonde's anxious behavior and motions between him and his brother. "I told you. You're a terrible liar."

"Is it something bad?" Elena asks her older counterpart.

"No," both vampires from the future answer simultaneously.

"This secret won't hurt anyone, will it?" Elena asks.

"No, we want to avoid that," Caroline assures her.

"Then, what's the point of keeping it a secret?" Damon complains as he plops on to the couch unenthusiastically.

"Trying to avoid causing someone pain isn't a good enough reason to keep a secret?" Stefan asks him sarcastically.

Damon shrugs characteristically before adding, "In my experience, it's usually the worst reason."

"Well, that's not the stupidest thing you've ever said," Caroline mutters. "But, it's pretty close."

"Fine," human Elena interrupts the glaring contest between Caroline and Damon. "As long as no one is hurt, I won't tell anyone what I see in the memories unless you say it's okay."

"Great! So, you show me Atlanta and I'll show you Atlanta."

"What do you mean?" The younger Elena asks.

"We went back to Atlanta shortly after I lost my memories."

"We did?" Damon asks from his seat and Stefan frowns.

"We all went," Caroline clarifies.

"Who's we?" Stefan asks.

"Just show her. You don't need doppelgänger hijinks to share a memory you haven't lost. I'll help, and we can do it from across the room," Caroline says to Elena, dismissing Stefan's question.

"How does it work?" Human Elena asks. Suddenly, the boarding house is gone, and the three girls are standing in a busy bar. "This is the bar in Atlanta."

"Right on," Caroline says with a smile. "But, technically, we're in your mind."

"That's a little weird," Elena admits and her older counterpart chuckles.

"We came her sometime during our third semester at Whitmore to celebrate and because Damon and Stefan thought we all needed a break from school and life," Caroline explains with a disapproving frown.

"Caroline wasn't thrilled about the impromptu trip," Elena adds as a side note.

"Of course, not. It was right before finals."

"Oh, my God. This is what we drove across state lines for?" A college aged Caroline blurts as she and her two best friends walk through the door. They look around at the drunk people shuffling through the establishment. A group of young adutls congregate on the small dance floor and around the busy bar.

"This is the address that Damon texted me," Bonnie says as she cringes away from an overly intoxicated couple. "Does this place look familiar, Elena?"

"Nope," she answers with a tight grip on Bonnie and Caroline's arms. "Why don't we find a table."

The girls shuffle over to the tabled area. Caroline quickly claims the cleanest available tables and instructs Bonnie and Elena to help push them together. A few minutes later, the girls had a space big enough for six. Bonnie's phone chimes as she sits next to Caroline on one side and Elena claims the set across from her.

"They'll be here in a few minutes. Apparently, driving with both Enzo and Stefan in the car was a big mistake."

"Yeah, they've been at each other's throats for weeks now," Caroline says. "That's one reason I insisted we drive separate from the boys. Less bickering."

"Really, I thought it was because you're still mad at Stefan and Elena refuses to stand in the same room as Damon," Bonnie quips and both vampires glare at the witch.

"Have we mentioned how much we've missed you?" Elena says, trying to fight a growing smile. As annoying as Bonnie has been about Elena's admittedly bad decision to compel away her love for Damon, the brunette truly loves that Bonnie is back.

"You could stand to mention it more," Bonnie says with a big grin. "Especially, since I've been roped into this weird triple date."

"This is not a date!"

"So, not a date!"

Bonnie chuckles at her friends and glances around the dingy bar. She remembers when Damon told her of this place and his 'five-minute break' with Elena. Funny that this is exactly how she pictured it.

"And, you roped us into this trip, not the other way around," Elena argues. "So, how about dishing? Why did we drive for what seems like forever…"

"A week before finals," Caroline adds.

"To some random bar in Georgia? Come on, Bonnie. Dish."

"What do you mean? We're hear to celebrate," Bonnie says innocently. "I single-handedly took down the traveler's no-magic barrier. I am amazing!"

"And, that is a fact!" Caroline agrees as she raises her hands over her head "Hallelujah! Two rounds of tequila, please!"

"Oh, come on. Do we have to drink?" Elena complains.

"Yes!" Caroline says adamantly. "You may not remember this, but I spent the entire summer scouring every magical book I could get my hands on. So, did Alaric. We couldn't find even a clue on how to bring down that damn bubble."

"And, then Bonnie came home," Elena says with a smile the size of Texas as a waitress stops by the table to drop off six shots of Tequila.

"And, then Bonnie came home!" Caroline squeals as she pulls both girls into a bear hug. After a few moments, the giggling girls pull apart and Elena snatches up one of the shot glasses.

"To the most powerful witch ever. The witch that not only took down a spell the size of Mystic Falls, but figured out how to do it within just a couple of weeks of returning from the dead."

"That's right, I'm a badass," Bonnie says with a great big laugh. The girls shoot their first round of tequila between giggles.

"And, this next one is to Bonnie surviving four months trapped in a..." Caroline attempts to toast her friend as she holds up her second shot, but pauses in confusion.

"1994 prison world," Bonnie supplies.

"Weird," Elena comments.

"1994 prison world all alone with only Damon for company. How you managed not to kill him, we'll never know," Caroline finishes and gulps her tequila. Bonnie sets her shot down with a quiet smile but doesn't comment. Elena just stares at her glass with a thoughtful expression that twists into a troubled frown.

Since, Bonnie and Damon returned to the land of the living several weeks ago. Elena has bounced between joyous gratitude to have one of her best friends back and anxious frustration at having to deal with her lost memories. The worst part is that everyone expects her to feel something that she doesn't. She doesn't even like Damon, so how could she possibly love him?

Yes, she'd decided at one point to ask Alaric to return her memories, but that wasn't an option anymore. Thanks to an unfortunate series of events with a vampire hunter, Damon, Enzo, Jo and the no-magic spell on Mystic Falls, Ric is human and unable to remove his compulsion. It really sucks, but it's done. So, Elena can't feel what Damon wants her to feel toward him. Shamefully, instead of discussing the situation with him like an adult, Elena opted to avoid him at all costs. And, that's hard to do with a guy that seems to know you better than you know yourself. Especially, since all her friends are firmly in the 'you need to talk to Damon' opinion.

Elena jumped out of more windows, vamp sped out of sight, and dodged more calls than she's ever thought possible. She just wasn't ready to see him. The idea of facing a man that she despises, but that's unabashedly in love with her, is terrifying. She can't figure out how she could have ever fallen in love with a man that did all the terrible things she remembers. Her 'friends' spent hours trying to correct her memory of Damon with tales of his heroics. They seemed to have a counter to every horrible memory she offered.

" _He killed my brother."_

" _Only for a second. And, he's saved Jeremy's life a couple times since then," Bonnie argued. "When Katherine almost killed him…the second time…It was Damon that saved his life."_

" _And, under Kohl's compulsion Damon was willing to let Jeremy kill him rather than kill Jeremy," Stefan added._

" _He killed you, Ric. Twice!"_

" _The first time was self-defense. And, the second time…he was just being a dick. But, he did apologize, sort of. And, he hasn't killed me since," Ric offered with a shrug before adding, "even though, he's threatened a few times recently."_

" _He's the reason Jenna's dead."_

" _Well, actually…I'm more to blame than him," Caroline admitted reluctantly. "He saved me from Klaus' freaky sacrifice, and Jenna somehow replaced me. But, Damon didn't know that. In fact, I think he offered himself as a replacement to save Jenna. Instead, he got a werewolf bite for his troubles._

" _Has Hell frozen over? Is Caroline actually defending Damon Salvatore?" Bonnie teased._

 _Never! But, if you're going to hate Damon, you have to hate him for the right reasons. Like the fact that he's a homicidal murderer that attacked my Dad."_

" _Was that before or after your dad tortured you in a creepy prison cell?"_

" _Shut up, Bonnie. Look Elena, we've all done horrible things that we regret. And, somehow, against all odds Damon seems to be on his best behavior when he's with you. Whether it's because he's always trying to impress you or because he actually wants to be a better person, I don't know. Personally, I think it's the former, but whatever. Damon managed to redeem himself in your eyes at some point. Enough that you fell in love with him. I don't understand it, but it happened. So, suck it up and go see the man. At the very least, tell him you don't love him anymore and put him out of all our miseries! He's driving me crazy!"_

Caroline was right, of course. But, even now, Elena's not sure she's ready. She knows that it bothers Damon greatly that she won't even speak with him, but given all the horrible things she remembers about him, doesn't he deserve it?

Bonnie doesn't think so. Which is one of the strangest changes since their return. Bonnie and Damon are friends. Like, good friends. It's just weird. Bonnie disagrees with Elena's avoidance tactics and has tried several times to get Elena to meet with Damon. That's why Elena is here, now. Because Bonnie arranged it and Caroline and Stefan agreed to act as a buffer. Caroline has always hated Damon, but recently her feelings have downgraded to intense dislike. Apparently, she never approved of Elena's relationship with Damon, but now she doesn't disapprove.

 _Whatever that means,_ Elena murmurs to herself before returning her gaze to the witch.

"Why are we here, Bonnie? In this bar?"

"You should remember this place, Elena," Bonnie says with a sympathetic expression that just annoys Elena.

"But, I don't. So, what happened here? What am I missing?"

"Fun," Bonnie answers with a shrug. "You and Damon just had fun here. For the first time, you dropped your guard long enough to enjoy his company. At least, that's how he remembers it."

Elena opens her mouth to respond but freezes when three men walk through the door.

"Really? This is what we drove all day to see? We passed a hundred bars just like this one on the way here," Stefan complains as he, Damon, and Enzo enter the bar.

"Are you kidding? This is my kind of place," Damon argues with a playful look around. "Totally worth your negative attitude the whole way here."

"This where you choose to hold a triple date?" Enzo asks. "In my day, ladies preferred more romantic settings."

"It's not a date," both Salvatore brothers respond.

"Whatever, mate," Enzo mutters as he makes a bee line for the pretty bartender. Damon and Stefan, on the other hand, head straight for the women's table.

Elena's eyes grow big at the sight of Damon as panic creeps into her chest and the urge to run kicks into overdrive. She stands up abruptly, ignoring Caroline and Bonnie's protests, only to have Damon vamp speed to her side. Blocking her escape, Damon frowns at the small brunette and makes a tsk sound.

"Making a break for it?"

Elena gasps at his sudden proximity and his scent washes over her. She may not remember Damon, but her body's response to the smell of leather and bourbon is instinctual. She crumbles back into her seat when her legs suddenly grow weak. Damon doesn't hesitate to claim the seat to her left, while Stefan sits to her right.

Feeling his familiar frame against her back, Elena glances at Stefan to see him watching Caroline. The blonde's fiery glare has him shifting uncomfortably in his seat. When Elena turns back to Damon, she finds him mouthing something to Bonnie, but he stops as soon as he notices Elena's attention. Instead, he meets her gaze with so much hope and barely controlled need that Elena grimaces under the weight of it.

"I figured it was worth a try," she murmurs, looking away from his puppy dog eyes. She certainly doesn't remember them being that blue. Or, that beautiful. Or, his smell. How is she expected to think properly with him this close to her? She grabs her remaining shot of tequila and downs it.

"Well, anything?" Damon asks as she places the empty glass back on the table. She can see now that everyone is watching her, waiting to see if meeting Damon for the first time since his revival has suddenly restored her memories.

"Sorry, nothing," she admits, and the group seems to take a collectively disappointed sigh.

"Ah, miss," Damon grabs the nearest waitress by the arm and flashes her a simmering look designed to capture her undivided attention. "I'm going to need bourbon. Lots of it. In fact, just bring the bottle."

"Because, that's a good idea," Bonnie admonishes and Damon frowns at her.

"You're going to want to cap her at three shots of tequila. After that, she gets pretty mean and somewhat pukey," he stage-whispers to the waitress and she giggles coquettishly while Bonnie rolls her eyes. Elena watches the exchange curiously but makes no comment.

"That one is going to want," Damon says, pointing to Elena, but grimaces as he seems to have trouble spitting out the next couple of words and gags on them, "cotton candy vodka. And, the blonde is going to want the same. So, you might as well bring a bottle."

"Cotton candy vodka?" Elena repeats in surprise.

"Oh my God, yes! That's a great idea, Elena," Caroline squeals before remembering that she's supposed to be mad and returns to her glowering state.

"It's your favorite," Damon whispers to Elena, forgetting about the waitress as she runs off to fill the order. His eyebrows jump suggestively, and Elena can't help the small smile that escapes.

"I know," she whispers back. Damon smiles at her and, for a moment, Elena feels at ease with him. Then, she notices the intense longing in his eyes. The way his eyes roam over her entire face as though he hasn't seen her in years and only the thought of her face kept him alive. He looks at her like she imagines a starving dog would look at a slab of meat. No, that isn't right. Damon doesn't want to eat her. But, he does want to devour her. And, that thought sends a wave of heat across her nerve endings that knocks the breath from her lungs.

She looks away from his perfectly sculpture face and tries to focus on the conversation between Caroline and Stefan.

"Caroline, you're going to have to speak to me eventually," Stefan says, but the blonde just raises an eyebrow as if to say, 'want to bet?'

"Actually, she went three weeks without speaking to me when we were in third grade," Bonnie explains. "She's very good at the silent treatment."

"Come on, you can't stay mad forever," Stefan whines, laying his palms on the table. "You haven't answered my calls in weeks. I've left a dozen messages."

"Hmmmm," Caroline responds, crossing her arms over her chest and cocking her head to the side.

"That means 'now you know how it feels," Elena supplies with a teasing smile. She tries to remain focused, but Damon's presence at her side seems to tug at her attention. She can feel his shoulder against hers and it send shivers down her back.

Caroline clears her throat pointedly and Bonnie interprets. "Correction, in a few _months_ you'll know how it feels."

Stefan sighs in resignation and lays his head against the table. "Come on, Caroline."

"Eh, mate, I've snagged you the good stuff," Enzo says as he claims the only remaining seat. He squeezes in next to Bonnie, who gives him a warning glance, and across from Damon, who smiles at his friend's return.

"Why, thank you, Enzo," Damon says in overly cheery fashion that reveals his truly sour mood. He graciously accepts the bottle and takes a big swig.

"I take it the reunion was without fireworks, so the balance of nature is still…whatever…" Enzo says as he sips from his own glass.

"What?" Elena asks, looking at Damon expectantly. He just shrugs and takes another drink before speaking.

"A guy can hope."

"So, because Elena doesn't remember you, you're just going to drink yourself into a stupor?" Bonnie asks sarcastically.

"Number one," Damon begins, poking his brother's prone head with the bottle. Stefan lifts his face from the table and takes the bottle for his own swig. "She remembers me, just all the bad parts."

Elena grimaces at his words, painfully aware of his arm bumping into her as he reaches for Stefan. She nods her head in confirmation of his assessment and he continues speaking with only a slight linger on her face before turning back to Bonnie.

"Number two, I have plenty to drink about. Ignoring Elena's current predicament, Stefan gave up on me while I was dead and somehow managed to piss off Blondie. Ric royally screwed me and is back to his useless human form. Enzo, you…well…you're actually a good friend. Almost as good as Bon-Bon."

"Almost?" Enzo asks, obviously offended.

"She freed us from a retro pocket world and destroyed the no-magic hamster ball over Mystic Falls. Do that and I'll promote you."

"I think I'll just wait for her to die."

"What about me?" Caroline asks.

"What about you? You were supposed to keep this boat a float. Instead, you let Stefan run off to play house and let Elena destroy her memories," Damon counters with shrug. "Did you miss me?"

"Not even a little bit."

Everyone chuckles at the barb and Elena is surprised by the ease at which everyone falls into friendly banter. Enzo makes a couple of suggestive remarks to Bonnie to which Damon responds with a friendly warning not to mess with the witch. He decides to head the warning and asks Caroline to dance, instead. When Stefan complains again about her ignoring him, Caroline smirks at the younger Salvatore and accepts Enzo's offer. A few minutes into the first song, Stefan stands from the table and announces that he's going to track down their drinks.

"He still hasn't figured it out?" Bonnie asks Damon as soon as Stefan's out of earshot. Damon raises a finger and waits until Stefan is close enough to the blaring jukebox that he can't eavesdrop with his vamp hearing.

"Nope, he's clueless. He keeps going on and on about her not returning his calls. Hell, even Enzo's figured it out, but he hasn't said anything about it, yet. I'd feel bad for my little brother if he wasn't such an idiot."

"What are you talking about?" Elena asks, fascinated with Damon's sudden need to gossip. "Clueless about what?"

"What do you think?" he answers with a nod in Caroline's direction and Elena smiles conspiratorially.

"You know about that?"

"Of course," he answers with raised eyebrows.

"How did you find out?" Elena asks and then turns to Bonnie with a frown. "Bonnie!"

"I didn't tell him!"

"She didn't have to. I suspected something was up during our hide out in her dad's cabin," Damon explains and leans in close to Elena. "But, I bet you don't remember that."

Elena leans back as Damon advances closer. His piercing gaze has her trapped like a deer in headlights and her heart hammers away. She takes a shaky breath and Damon's expression changes. His eyes narrow as he realizes the affect his proximity has on her. He smirks and Elena realizes she's in trouble.

"Do you want to dance?" he whispers, and her body immediately screams 'yes!'

"No," she manages. When he tilts his head and sticks his bottom lip out in a pout, Elena's eyes fall to watch his luscious lips twist across his face. For a moment, all she can think about is how wonderful they'd feel against her skin. But, then he's gone. Standing from his chair, he holds out a hand to Bonnie.

"Bon-Bon?"

She shrugs and accepts the offer to dance. Elena watches them on the dance floor for several minutes, mesmerized by Damon's skill. The man can dance, no doubt about it. And, he's so much fun to watch. Maybe, he'll get all hot and sweaty from the exertion and take off his shirt.

"Any ideas?" Stefan asks as he returns to the table with a bottle of cotton candy vodka.

"What?" Elena practically jumps in her seat. "Ideas about what? I'm not staring."

Stefan looks at her with a raised eyebrow for a moment before motioning to the blonde vampire at the bar with Enzo. "I'm talking about Caroline."

"Oh, yeah, of course. What can I do?"

"Tell me how to fix this? She's your friend, too. If you were in my position, what would you do?" Stefan asks, pouring two shots of the sweet vodka.

"Well, for starters, I'd never be in your position," Elena says, raising one shot glass to him before swallowing it. Stefan chuckles and pours her another.

"That doesn't help me."

"Sorry, Stefan, but friend code clearly states…"

"I know, I know. You have to take your best friend's side," Stefan mutters before throwing back his own shot and then grimacing. "Oh, that's disgusting."

Elena giggles at the face he makes and bumps his should playfully. "Don't waste it. That's the good stuff."

"Don't let Damon hear that. He'd never forgive you."

At the mention of Damon, Elena glances back to dance floor to find Damon dancing with another girl and Bonnie talking to Caroline at the bar. "He's not what I expected," she admits and Stefan nods.

"Yeah, he's kind of annoying that way."

Elena slips her arm through Stefan's and leans her head against his shoulder with a pouting expression as she watches Damon and the new girl. Elena admits to a slight tinge of jealousy creeping into the back of mind that tugs on her bloodthirst, but she squashes it. She doesn't have a right to feel jealous over someone she dislikes. But, does she truly dislike him? Honestly, no. Elena sighs as she realizes that she doesn't hate Damon anymore.

 _How did that happen?_

Does she love him? No, definitely not love. Lust, maybe. That's going to be hard to curb moving forward.

 _Moving forward? Am I moving forward with Damon?_ Elena considers the idea of spending more time with the older Salvatore brother. Surprisingly, a gaggle of butterflies flutter inside at the idea and she smiles.

"I'm going to have to talk to him, aren't I?"

"You mean like a real, serious, adult conversation? I'm afraid so," Stefan says with his own brand of snarky. Elena playfully pushes against her shoulder, again. She glances at his face, expecting to meet his green gaze. Instead, he's watching Caroline playfully smack Enzo on the shoulder for saying something crude. The frown on his brooding face makes her smile even more.

When she glances back at Damon, she finds him watching her. Her smile falters when she realizes he isn't happy. He glances between Stefan and Elena with a deep frown and turns away. Confused at first, Elena watches Damon turn away from her and put his arm around a nearby college-aged man to coax him quietly through the back door. It isn't until she notices Caroline frowning at her and Stefan a few moments later that Elena realizes the impression she must be giving. She's acting too comfortable with Stefan. She quickly tugs her arm free and Stefan barely notices.

He's so fixated on Caroline, Stefan forgets to excuse himself when he suddenly stands from the table. Much to Caroline's surprise, Stefan strolls right up to her at the bar and drops to his knees. He holds out his hands in surrender and speak loudly for the whole bar to hear.

"This is what you've forced me to resort to, Caroline. You won't return my calls and you refuse to speak to me. You won't accept my apologies, so here I am. I'm now on my knees begging you to forgive me!"

"Oh, that's just sad," Enzo mutters and walks away from the sorry sight. Several patrons laugh at the odd sight, but others "ooh and aww." Caroline covers her face in embarrassment before peeking around her fingers.

"What are you doing?" She whines. "Stefan, get up."

"Absolutely! As soon as you forgive me."

"I'm not forgiving you, yet. I've been a damn good friend to you and you ignored me all summer. I told you, I deserve better than that."

"You're right, you do. I promise I'll never forget how lucky I am to have you for a friend," Stefan says, but Caroline shakes her head. So, he pulls out the big guns. "I spent last summer drowning over and over again inside a safe at the bottom of the quarry. And, you never came looking for me."

Caroline's eyes are the size of saucers at the mention of Stefan's horrific experience. Her mouth falls open for a moment before she quickly slams it shut.

"Call it even?" she offers between tight lips.

"Deal," he says, climbing back to his feet.

"Good. Now, buy me a drink before Enzo comes back."

Elena smiles at her two friends. If they can come to an agreement, why can't she and Damon? Speaking of which, Elena suddenly decides now is as good a time as any. She stands abruptly and rushes to the back door, where she last saw Damon. As she reaches the door, Elena's vamp hearing picks up on the sound of Damon's voice. She should've been surprised how easily it is for her mind to pick up his deep cadence given the noise of the bar, but she isn't.

"Now, you're going to take those roofies to the nearest police department and confess all your crimes…"

 _Roofies?_ Elena remembers the roofie guy at her first vampire hunt a couple of years ago. Damon taught her how to hunt and she had fun dirty dancing with him. _But, that was due to sire bone, right?_

Elena decides to ask and shoves the door open. Damon stands in the back alley, watching the college-aged guy walk away and around the building.

"Who was that?" Elena asks.

"Just my latest meal," he answers nonchalantly as he wipes the blood from his mouth. Elena watches him curiously for a moment. She wonders why he doesn't tell her about the roofie guy. Does he not want her to know about his good deed? Something irks at the back of her mind and she has a feeling that she should know the answer to that question. Has he done this before, committed a kind act and hidden the fact from her? Does he think she'll disagree with his actions?

 _No, that's not it._

"Are you mad at me?" She blurts and Damon smiles at the sudden question.

"Yes."

"Why?"

"I don't know, Elena. Maybe, because after months in my own personal hell with the chattiest witch on Earth, I manage to crawl my way back to you. Only to find that you don't remember anything good about me. Oh, and you refused to see or talk to me for weeks. So, pick a reason, any reason."

"You're right!" Elena yells at him and steps forward with her arms out. "I made a mistake. A stupid mistake that I regret immensely, Damon. And, I'm ashamed that I've been too afraid to confront you. I've been running away every chance I get. I ran away from my grief, and then I ran away from you. And, I'm so sorry. But, I want to fix it. Tell me how to fix it."

"Your memories are gone, Elena."

"So, help me remember, Damon. One memory at a time and start with this bar. What's so special about this bar?"

Damon stares at her for a moment, deciding what to do. He'd like to go find some road to lie on for a few hours and eat the first person that stumbles across him. But, that won't fix anything. He doubts it'll even make him feel any better at this point. There's only one thing that will ease this heartache and that's Elena. So, he points to the end of the alley and behind her. When she turns her back to him to look, he steps in close. She stiffens at his sudden nearness, but the rabbit speed of her heart and the hitch in her breath, assures him. He savors the feel of Elena pressing lightly against his chest as he raises his arm, again.

"That's where you saved my life for the first time," Damon whispers into her ear. "You saved me from the consequences of _my_ mistake."

Elena doesn't say anything but turns to face him. They stare at each other for several minutes and he wonders what she's thinking. Honestly, he's just glad that she's talking to him. She didn't run away but sought him out. That's progress. But, God, he misses the days when he could kiss her anytime he wanted. He's spent days locking lips with this feisty brunette and wearing out his bed. He'd give anything to press her against that brick wall and remind her of the summer they spent exploring every inch each other. Oh, the things he learned about her. He licks his lips and she takes a deep breath. Finally of, Damon steps away from Elena and opens the heavy door. The music from the bar blares into the alley and Elena can see Caroline and Stefan moving to the beat on the dance floor.

"Come on, Elena. Let's have some fun."

And, they did. They all ordered hamburgers and Damon stole Elena's pickle. Everyone, but Bonnie, raced Tequila shooters. Instead, Bonnie got to crown Elena 'the fastest drinker' of the group. The boys won the game of Quarters against the girls, but Elena and Caroline didn't mind because they got to finish off the bottle of cotton candy vodka. It was one of the best nights, since before the travelers took over Mystic Falls. Elena also considers it her first date with Damon.


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

Elena gasps when the two vampires release her mind and they all snap back to reality. She glances around the boarding house to find her bearings and Stefan touches her arm to steady her.

"Easy, you're okay."

"Woah," she mutters as she clings to her boyfriend. "How long were we…gone…or whatever?"

"A few minutes," Stefan answers with a concerned expression. He searches her eyes for something to indicate what she'd seen, but Elena presses her face into Stefan's chest and wraps her arms around him. With her eyes closed, Elena savors the warmth of his strong arms around her and his unique smell that somehow always reminds her of the damp cemetery where they meet. She revels in the familiarity of his embrace and tries to piece together all the puzzle pieces from the future memory. Watching an excerpt from her life in the future was not as enlightening as she'd hoped. In fact, it was down right confusing.

 _I'm so glad that Bonnie and Caroline are still my best friends._

 _No magic barrier? 1994 prison world? What the heck are they talking about?_

 _I must've already lost my memories at this point. Why would Damon tell Bonnie about this bar and what it means to him? They hate each other, don't they? Surely, the world hasn't changed that much._

 _Who's the new guy with the accent? Why would I …or she…try to run away? She seems bothered by Damon's presence. Stefan barely acknowledged her. He seems more concerned about Caroline than me…her. But, this Elena doesn't seem bothered by it. Maybe, she's more secure with their relationship. They've been together for years at this point, right?_

 _Why does everyone seem so disappointed? Was something supposed to happen?_

 _Cotton candy vodka? What is that?_

 _Is Damon flirting with her? Not really. He just seemed so open and vulnerable for a moment. I don't think I've ever seen him like that. She is noticing it, too._

 _Obviously, Caroline is mad at Stefan and he's not happy about it. I'm surprised that he cares so much. They must have grown to be better friends because I don't think my Stefan would care this much about Caroline's ire. How often does Stefan call Caroline?_

 _Know how it feels? Did he ignore Caroline and now she's getting revenge? That sounds like Caroline. They must be good friends for such an absence to upset each other._

 _Who is this guy? Oh, his name is Enzo. Uh oh, Damon's upset. But why? Fireworks? I'm lost._

 _Oh, he's upset Elena can't remember him. Or, just the bad parts. Stefan is drinking, too. He must also be upset. I'm sure I lost memories about him, as well._

 _Damon was dead!? He died!? Oh, my God. Damon is going to die…He died and came back to a me with no memories of our friendship. I can't let this happen._

 _Enzo is Damon's friend. I didn't know Damon had friends._

 _Bonnie is Damon's friend!? No way._

 _So, Damon was dead and in a retro pocket world? Is that the 1994 prison world? That would mean Bonnie was dead, too. And, they were alone together. For four months._

 _Stefan ran off to play house? Damon said he gave up him. Poor Stefan, he lost his brother. We must have tried to move on together. Is that why he didn't call Caroline?_

 _Elena destroyed her memories? No, they were taken. He's just mad about and lashing out. Typical Damon._

 _Well, at least some things never change. Caroline still despises Damon._

 _Damon doesn't like Enzo hitting on Bonnie. Is he jealous?_

 _It's bothering me that Stefan seems different with me in the future. He isn't very intimate with her. He doesn't glance at her lovingly or touch her arm when he leaves like my Stefan does with me. He seems more focused on Caroline than anything else. Maybe, our spark is gone. Are we just too comfortable with each other?_

 _Bonnie and Damon like to gossip? What doesn't Stefan know? Her dad's cabin? What happened there? Looks like Damon is still trying to flirt with me when the opportunity arises. Ugh, he's doing that eye thing. He doesn't still have a thing for me, does he? Future me, you're not buying into it are you? You do remember that's Damon, right? Wait, she's forgot things about him. Maybe, she doesn't remember – no wait, that's not right. She remembers all the bad stuff. Good, she's not buying into his flirty game. You love Stefan. Always Stefan._

 _Bonnie, you traitor. Wow, they seem to be having a lot of fun. They seem to really like each other. Are they…No way, Bonnie hates Damon. At least she does now. But, in the future she doesn't. Is that because they were in that prison world together? Are they more than friends now? They seem really close. Too, close._

 _Stefan is back. He's so sweet. He's really bothered by Caroline's cold shoulder. So, they do touch. Good, I was starting to wonder if they were having relationship issues. It does line up with what future me said about Ric's wedding. And, that hasn't happened yet, right? So, maybe they are having issues, but will work it out at the wedding. They obviously still care about each other, even if they are distracted by other issues. They seem so comfortable with each other. Wait, what happened? Why'd she pull away? Stefan didn't even notice._

 _Wow, that's really sweet that he makes such as scene to make Caroline happy. He's such a good friend. Maybe after they make up, he'll be less distracted and will make the same effort with future me. Still, shouldn't he be more concerned with making his girlfriend happy? But, future me doesn't seem bothered by his distraction. She seems happy for him and Caroline._

 _Drowning? Trapped in a safe? She didn't look for him? Why wouldn't Caroline look for him? Certainly, I did. Why did it take so long to find him? Wow, they forgave each other easily._

 _Damon's mad at future me. Why would he be mad at her? It's not like she chose to lose her memories. Why isn't he mad at the person that compelled her? Why aren't they trying to remove the compulsion?_

 _She's sorry? Why is she sorry? A mistake. Oh no, she ran away from her grief. Damon died, and she ran away from her grief. He memories weren't taken from her, she gave them up. She had her memories compelled away, so she wouldn't have to grieve Damon's death. Then, Damon came back and now he's mad she doesn't remember anything good about him._

 _Is he going to help her? Of course, he's her friend. Good. That explains why this Elena gets along with my Damon. They are friends. Just good friends. Like Caroline and Stefan._

"Well, anything exciting happen? Is this secret worth all the hush-hush?" Damon asks from his comfy position on the overstuffed couch.

"I…don't know," Elena admits as she pulls away from the safety of Stefan's arms and looks to the 200 year old vampires in confusion.

"You don't know?" Stefan echoes and Damon throws his arms up in exasperation.

"There was a lot going on…"

"Well, I think it's safe to say," Damon says jumping up from his seat on the couch and strolling toward Elena and Stefan like a prowling jaguar. "That the big secret has something to do with me or Stefan."

Elena watches him advance across the room with his trademark smirk and considers his remark. If the secret is about Damon or Stefan, it must be Damon's death or Stefan's summer in the quarry. And, her heart breaks at the thought of either one of them suffering through such ordeals. Mid-way across the room Damon stops in his tracks at the looks of despair on Elena's face. Her mouth opens as though she's going to say something, but Caroline clears her throat meaningfully. Elena's brown eyes shift guiltily to the blonde and then to her counterpart.

"You said it wasn't anything bad," Elena complains. The two girls frown in confusion and glance at each other.

"It's not," the short-haired brunette argues.

"Then, I don't know what the secret is because the only things I learned from that memory about Damon and Stefan were just horrible. And, you need to tell us how to keep them from happening."

"I'm really starting to worry, now," Damon murmurs and glances meaningfully at Stefan, but the younger Salvatore refuses to meet his brother's gaze. Damon quickly realizes that Stefan knows something he doesn't. Stefan places a comforting hand on Elena's shoulder and turns her to face him. Her frantic brown eyes meet his calm green and he runs his hands over her back soothingly.

"Elena, it's okay. Whatever it is, we will handle it. We already know that we get through it, right?"

Elena nods her head as his rationalization. He's right. Ignoring the references to past incidences of death, imprisonment, and drowning, everyone seemed happy in the memory. Even Damon, excluding his argument with future Elena.

"You're right," Elena murmurs as she lies her head against his chest and listens to the slow beat of his heart. "We'll be okay. We'll survive."

Future Elena watches the scene unfurl with a confused frown. Finally, she turns to Caroline and whispers. "I don't think we're talking about the same secret."

"Nope," Caroline agrees. "She's too distracted by everything else. Which, I mean, I don't blame her. We had a lot going on at that point. And, she's still just a seventeen-year-old girl caught between two Salvatore brothers."

"Yeah, I remember those days. Oh, wait, no I don't," Elena snickers quietly at her own joke until Caroline flashes a humorless expression. "Uh, I mean, how long does this triangle last exactly?"

"You're lucky it only lasted as long as it did," Caroline scolds quietly. "When you made your choice clear, he moved on. Yeah, it was awkward for a while, but he respected your choice and moved on. He didn't vow to let you indulge your first love with a promise to be your last. He didn't practically stalk you for 200 years and then brainwash your kids into opening a time portal to do God knows what!"

Damon looks over his shoulder at the blonde as she fumes next to Elena. He raises an eyebrow at the whispered tirade and glances at his brother to find Stefan watching Caroline with the same confused interest. Both Salvatores silently note her reference to Damon eventually accepting Elena's choice in brothers and moving on. Tension inside Stefan, that he didn't realize existed, suddenly eased and he meets Damon's gaze for an instant before refocusing on Caroline.

Damon notes the subtle change in his younger brother and grinds his teeth in annoyance. Elena's already claimed Stefan as her one and only, but to have it cemented and practically written into stone is down right depressing. But, he quickly shakes it off. It's nothing new. Damon has never truly believed that he has a chance of stealing Elena away. It's always Stefan. She'll always love Stefan. So, Damon will settle for her friendship. Or, at least not having her hate him. Right now, Damon's intrigued by the idiots that some how find Caroline tolerable.

"So, not only did you sucker one man into marry you… And, I can only assume this guy is a few cans short of six pack," Damon begins, but Caroline cuts him off.

"Why would you assume that?"

"Because, he married you," Damon answers with a shrug and an obvious expression. "So, I count one poor soul, but now there's a second? What kind of lunatic would find you interesting enough to obsess over for one day, never the less 200 years?"

"Klaus," Elena answers with a hand failing to cover her amused smile. Caroline glares at her sister-in-law's snickering form, then rolls her eyes.

"Wait, the hybrid guy that kills me?"

"Yes," Caroline answers human Elena with a resigned sigh. "It's an unbreakable triangle that rears its ugly head every few decades. I mean it's proved useful on occasion. You know, when we need a favor."

"So, you've strung this guy along for 200 years for the occasional favor?" Stefan asks incredulously.

"No, of course not. He just doesn't give up on anything. Or, any one. But, I won't lie. His crush has proven helpful in dire situations. Hell, Klaus' infatuation with me is the only reason he refrained from killing Damon on at least six occasions."

"Eight," Elena corrects.

"Why does he want to kill me?"

"Everyone wants to kill you at some point, Damon. It's practically a right of passage," Caroline sneers.

"You also take great pride in antagonizing Klaus whenever possible," Elena adds. "In fact, I think the last time you two met, he promised to kill you during your next run in."

"And, I haven't managed to change his mind on that, yet. So, I'd steer clear of him, just in case."

"Thanks for the heads up," Damon murmurs.

"No problem. So, Elena, I think you're owed a memory," Caroline says, looking to the Elena at her side. "I really want to see this 'memory strike' in action."

Elena flashes a great, big smile at her counterpart across the room and steps closer. "Are you ready?"

The long-haired brunette untangles herself from Stefan and nods her head. "Atlanta, right?"

"Right."

As the doppelgängers inch closer to each other, a rumbling from the ground gurgles up through the floor boards. Each step causes the ground to reverberate louder until the walls shudder from the motion. Glasses and books stumble from the shelving and windows crack. Paintings on the wall slam into the floorboards and Damon growls at the mess in his living room. When a floor board at Elena's feed cracks, she yelps in surprise and glances back at her boyfriend. Seeing her anxiety, Stefan moves to pull her back, but Damon stops him.

"Don't. Trust me you don't want to get in the way," he says in strained voice as he tries to speak over the grumbling Earth. With an irritated scowl, Damon yells at the two brunettes. "Can you two hurry it up? You're destroying my house!"

The older Elena shifts around her counterpart to flash Damon an amused smile. The younger Elena tries to hide her anxiety behind a frown, but, as always, Damon sees right through her. He smirks at her and Elena's anxiety seems to ease a bit to be replaced by a whisper of amusement. Of course, she tries desperately to snuff it out with a severe frown. Even in the chaos, Damon is amazed by this one woman.

Human Elena turns back in time to find her counterpart waiting with an outstretched hand. Staring into identical brown eyes, Elena feels a sense of understanding from the older doppelgänger. But, she ignores it and pushes down the butterflies Damon's smile unleashed. It doesn't mean anything. Elena loves Stefan and they'll be together for ever. Or, at least the next 200 years. Smiling at that thought, Elena grabs her counterpart's hand and suddenly the loud rumbling stops.

"It stopped," Stefan murmurs, looking around at the mess that was once the boarding house.

"Yeah," Caroline agrees and motions toward the two doppelgängers standing motionless in the center of the Livingroom. Both Elenas stare emptily at each other as though the world around them doesn't exsit. "Their touch must have released the power."

"What do mean?"

"She means," Damon begins, releasing his brother to examine the damage the doppelgänger magic wrought. "When the doppelgängers from two different timelines get too close, strange things happen."

"Doppelgängers are supernatural occurrences meant to balance the Universe. They are powerful sources of natural magic. So, when these two get close enough, their two separate energies from two separate universes kind of amplify each other in a way that was never supposed to happen because the doppelgängers were never supposed to exist and certainly never supposed to time travel. Lucky for us, their touch channels the power into the compulsion, overloading it until it snaps."

"Wait, what?" Damon asks, glaring at Caroline in confusion. "That made absolutely no sense."

"What do you mean, they weren't supposed to exist?" Stefan asks.

"Doppelgängers were forced into existence to balance the immortal curse. There has be a mortal version in contrast to the immortal original," Caroline attempts to explain. "Ugh, I hate explaining these things! Basically, a witch cast a spell of immortality 2000 years ago, so the Universe creates exact copies him to maintain balance."

"And, these copies, or doppelgänger, are mega powerful? Elena's never shown signs of that kind of power," Stefan argues.

"No, it's not that kind of power. Her blood is powerful, not her."

"Right, you already covered that. I'm more interested in the 'he'," Damon snaps as he inspects his inventory of liquor for survivors.

"What?" Caroline asks, turning to look at him.

"You said, the Universe creates copies of 'him'," Damon explains. He snatches up a broken bottle and the sorrow Caroline sees in his eyes almost makes her feel bad for him. And, then he opens his mouth, again. "I know for a fact that Katherine was all woman. I can only assume the same for Elene. Right, little brother?"

Stefan scowls at his older brother's crude comment but remains silent. Damon has a point. He wants to hear Caroline's explanation.

"Yeah, the immortal was an uber powerful and…uber insane…witch named Cyrus. He wanted immortality for himself and his lover, Amara. Unfortunately for him, he spent his 2000 years desiccating in a cave convinced she was dead. And, I recommend leaving him there. He was a pain-in-the-ass."

"Sucks to be him," Damon mutters as he pours a glass of bourbon from one of the remaining bottles.

"So, Elena is an exact copy of Amara? Where is she?" Stefan asks, stepping closer to Caroline.

"I don't know where she is, but I know she's insane, so leave her alone."

"Dangerous?"

"No, just batshit crazy."

Stefan chuckles at Caroline's response and the blonde can't stop the big smile that spreads across her face. Damon glances up from his glass to see the exchange and notes a red tint in Caroline's cheeks. He sucks his cheeks in thought and considers the odd reaction. When the doppelgängers suddenly snap out of their day dream, Stefan immediately rushes to his girlfriend's side. Caroline's smile immediately disappears to be replaced by mild irritation.

 _She's jealous,_ Damon realizes. She hides it well, better than he'd think Caroline capable, but it's definitely there. _Married with two kids, a powerful stalker, and a secret crush on your best friend's boyfriend. You've been busy, Blondie._

Vampire Elena snaps back from her memory download with a gentle smile and turns away from her counterpart as Stefan rushes to her side. Atlanta was a lovely memory that feels wonderful to have back. She knows now that it was the first time that she realized Damon could be fun. Even then, he showed concern for her during her fight with Stefan and didn't hesitate to save her from Lexi's boyfriend. Granted, Elena ended up doing most of the saving. Elena remembers Damon describing the memory to her when the compulsion wouldn't allow him to show her his memory of the trip. She knows it meant a lot to him that she considered him worth saving, even though Lexi deserved revenge. She also remembers everything Damon did over the last 200 years to make it up to Stefan for killing her.

The trip to Atlanta was also the first time since her parents died that Elena partied. Before their death, she was a regular party girl with Caroline and loved to have fun. Afterwards, partying and fun didn't interest her. Elena just wanted to fill the hole that her parent's death had cause in her heart. She just wanted to feel alive, again.

Elena looks at the man that does just that. Stefan may have filled the role for a moment, but it's Damon that's inspired her for centuries. Through every happy and horrific day, he's never failed her. She smiles at him until she notices him watching Caroline. She recognizes the mischievous smirk teasing his lips as he sips from his bourbon. Damon has discovered something juicy about Caroline.

Glancing at the blonde, Elena realizes her sister's jealousy is breaking through her façade. Elena rushes to Damon's side and snatches the bourbon from his hand. Startled, Damon glares at the brunette, but doesn't move away. He wants his glass back. It's the only one that survived the doppelgänger storm. When Damon reaches to take the glass back, Elena jerks it out of reach and presses her free hand firmly against his chest. Surprised by the touch, Damon's blue eyes instantly fall to her brown.

After setting the glass down, Elena's big does eyes are firm and demanding when she places one finger to her lips. Damon tries to not to get distracted by the proximity of her luscious lips and focuses instead on the meaning of her shushing motion. Elena nods her head toward Caroline as the blonde waits impatiently for Stefan to stop fussing over his girlfriend. When Damon realizes that Elena wants him to remain silent about his discovery, he opens his mouth to ask why. Why remain silent and why isn't she bothered by her best friend's betrayal?

Elena's fingers against his lips stop him and she looks up at him with imploring eyes. She doesn't want anyone to hear him asking about it. But, why? Damon doesn't care. With Elena so close to him and her fingers touching his skin, he's do anything to please her. And, oh, could he please her. So many things he could do to please her, to make her scream his name in ecstasy. He could lay her over the liquor cabinet and make her beg for release.

When Elena slowly pulls her fingers away, his tongue darts out instinctively to wet his lips and it touches her finger tips lightly. The feel of his tongue on her fingers sends a shock wave through her starving senses. She instantly remembers the sensation of his tongue on her body, across her stomach, sucking on her nipples, and in more intimate areas. Without thought, she presses the length of her body against him. Through the fog of lust masking her brain, Elena stops her lips a hair from his and stares at their wetness.

The sudden sensation of Elena's taut body against the length of him fries Damon's mind. Her breasts press against his chest as she breaths heavily. Her thigh slinks across his groin, sending shock wave of pleasure up his spine. Her lips are a breath from his and he wants so bad to taste them, but he doesn't. Instead, he watches the desire and need raging in Elena's eyes before painfully closing his own.

 _She is not my Elena,_ Damon silently reminds himself.

He slips his hands onto her hips with the intent to push her away, but the sudden gasp that slips from her lips drives eyes open. Instead, he pins her against the liquor cabinet with his hips and dives in for a kiss. With a whoosh, Elena is gone. Caroline pins her against the wall with a hand at her neck and a deep growl.

"What are you doing?" The blonde demands from her sister-in-law. Stefan and his girlfriend look up at the commotion and Stefan's concern is evident.

"Caroline, what are you doing? What happened?"

Caroline glares at Elena and considers her options. The shame and regret on Elena's face is obvious, but the fact that she isn't fighting Caroline's attack is far more telling. How could Elena act so selfishly? How could she forget so easily that this isn't her Damon? But, can Caroline really blame her. There have been several moments when she's forgotten that this Stefan isn't her husband. But, still, Elena needs to keep it together.

"Nothing," Caroline finally says and releases her friend. "Elena and I just had a small disagreement."

"About what?" Human Elena asks, suspiciously.

"On whether, she should go home with you or not. I think she should see her family while she has the chance."


	16. Chapter 16

AN: I planned on including another scene for this chapter, but I didn't want to make you guys wait any longer. I will get the next part out ASAP.

* * *

Chapter 16

Damon closes his eyes and savors the feel of the chill water cooling his hot skin. A cold shower is just what he needs after his latest encounter with future Elena. She left with Stefan and her present-day counterpart a little while ago. Caroline was certainly anxious to get rid of everyone, but Damon can't blame her. He still can't believe how strongly he reacted to Elena or how she seemed to react to him. He can only imagine what could've happened if Caroline hadn't interrupted. And, Damon has quiet the imagination. Of course, even if Caroline hadn't interfered, Stefan and the other Elena certainly would.

The other Elena would've been traumatized because she'd never dream of acting on her attraction to Damon. She prefers to pretend it doesn't exist and channel everything into borderline animosity. As much as he hates being on the receiving end of the brunette's wrath, she is really sexy when she's angry. Of course, she always looks gorgeous, so maybe he could do without the venomous glares and snarky comments. Not to say he doesn't deserve her ire for some of his latest decisions, but Elena is supposed to be all about forgiving people. When is it his turn to be forgiven? Again. Oh, right. He's an idiot. Just when she managed to forgive him of all his nefarious deeds, he does the most idiotic and self-destructive thing possible.

And, the moment another version of Elena shows up and treats him a with semblance of kindness, he latches on to it like a life preserver. How sad is he? How can he love someone and then settle for a duplicate? Damon should want the original version. He should want the real Elena, not her doppelgänger.

 _But, I don't want her doppelgänger,_ Damon scolds himself. Doppelgängers are different people that happen to look the same, like twins. Katherine and Elena are nothing alike other than their look, but future Elena is the same person as his Elena. She's just older. So, does that mean Damon loves Elena more because he's attracted to her no matter her form? Or, does it mean he loves her less because future Elena is not present-day Elena?

Damon presses his forehead against the glass of his shower and expels a frustrated sigh. This is too complicated. It was complicated to begin with due to this unholy triangle, but time travelers increase the complexity exponentially. Hell, that goofy Tom Cruise movie 'Vanilla Sky' was easier to follow than this cluster. Damon knows he'll never have Elena. He's managed to gleam that much from AU Thelma and Louise. But, eventually he'll have her friendship, and that's more than he has now.

Although, her reaction earlier wasn't that of a friend. She wanted him just as much as he wanted her. He could see it in her eyes, in her heavy breathing, and the way her body begged for more. The memory of her form pressed against him ignites his desire, again. He quickly lifts his face to the cool water and lets his memories wash away.

 _What does it mean?_

It's obvious that Elena desires Damon, which is only natural. He hasn't met a straight woman that didn't find him attractive. And, why wouldn't they? He's the eternal bad boy. And, he looks damn good in a suit. But, that's not the point. Damon knows that Elena is attracted to him. She always has been, but she's made it clear that it doesn't matter because she loves Stefan. She would never betray Stefan like that. She's not Katherine. Has that changed in the future? At some point, does Elena decide to have both Salvatore brothers?

 _No, Elena would never do that,_ Damon decides silently. _Besides, Caroline said that when Elena made her choice, I eventually moved on._

Damon falls very still for a moment as his brain recognizes something in that thought that isn't right. It's like struggling to find a word that's at the tip of his tongue. Every time he gets close, it slips away. So, Damon examines the statement and the memory of Caroline making the claim. Was she lying? No, Caroline's a terrible liar.

At some point Elena makes a choice between Stefan and Damon. But, since he's known Elena, she has always been firmly on team Stefan. She's never even considered Damon as an option. Does that change at some point? Does Damon ingratiate himself enough with Elena that she develops feeling for him. Enough to compete with her feelings for Stefan? And, then an odd thought occurs to Damon. One he hasn't allowed himself to consider because the pain of being wrong could overwhelm him. He snatches the thought from its free range scuttle across his mind and squashes it. There's no way. Just no way. She loves Stefan. It will always be Stefan. Right? Damon runs through everything he's learned from the time travelers.

" _Right, Stefan and Elan are still dating."_

 _Still dating? As in they aren't anymore?_ Damon wonders quietly. Caroline had mumbled the words under her breath. He wasn't supposed to hear them. Why hadn't he responded immediately? Because, at the time, he didn't know that Elena would eventually turn. Damon was under the impression that Elena didn't want to be a vampire. So, if Elena never turned, eventually Stefan and Elena would no longer be dating. Either, she would out grow him, or she would die.

So, if Elena never dies and can never outgrow Stefan, they should still be dating. Unless they broke up. A small thrill zips through Damon and the tiny seed of hope deep inside him slowly sprouts. But, it quickly wilts when Damon remembers the daylight ring on Elena's ring finger. It was meant to hold the place of a wedding ring. The same for Caroline.

 _If Stefan and Elena are married, then they aren't dating,_ Damon clenches his jaw angrily at the thought. That's why he can't let his emotions get away with him. He must stay focused.

" _Ugh, Whitmore? Couldn't do any better?"_

" _Hey, I had to stay close for Jeremy. And, my boyfriend."_

So, they were still dating in college. Not married, yet.

" _When you made your choice clear, he moved on. Yeah, it was awkward for a while, but he respected your choice and moved on."_

Elena has already made her choice clear, but Damon's made no attempt to move on. He may not be actively pursuing Elena, but he certainly isn't letting her go. How much clearer can she make her choice in Stefan?

 _Unless…_ Damon immediately stops himself from completing the thought. No, he won't kid himself. He refuses to dangle the hope of Elena just to have it ripped away. It hurts too much. He's connected the dots and they easily line up in Stefan's favor. Everything points toward Saint Stefan and Elena spending eternity together.

Except Elena. She's done nothing to indicate an interest in Stefan since her arrival. Sure, she's been nice and friendly, but not overly concerned with him. Is that because she doesn't want to upset present-day Elena? Or, some other reason? If he didn't know Elena before her future version arrived, her behavior would convince Damon that she's more interested in the bad brother than the good one. But, he does know her and there's just no way.

There's no way the Elena he knows would reach for his help over Stefan. She wouldn't take comfort in his arms and cuddle against him. She wouldn't laugh and tease him over cupcakes. She wouldn't ever consider running her hands through his hair as though it's something she does every day. Elena would never place her fingertips on his lips or press her body against him. And, Damon is back to square one as he adjusts the water temp to icicle setting.

Damon growls in frustration as he struggles to piece everything together. As a last resort, he cautiously allows his mind to explore alternative options. Options that leave his heart exposed and vulnerable. As scary as it is to consider, Damon hasn't actually heard anyone confirm that Elena and Stefan are together in the future. Yes, she dated Stefan. Yes, she's probably married. Yes, she made a choice between the two Salvatore brothers. But, what if Stefan and Elena eventually broke up. What if she married someone else? What if she chose Damon?

Damon places a hand on the shower glass to steady himself as he considers the implications of his revelation. Does Elena fall in love with him? Does she choose Damon over Stefan? Are they married?

 _No,_ Damon shuts it down immediately. _No, Elena hates me. There's no way she'd every fall in love with me. She loves Stefan. It will always be Stefan._

Damon shuts off the water with a jerk and steps out the shower. He dries himself quickly and then wraps the towel around his waist. He glances up at his reflection in the mirror and wonders about a life with Elena at his side. Damon imagines her perched on his bathroom counter much like she was in the kitchen. Except this time, she'd be wearing only a towel and a gorgeous smile that goes on for miles. She'd look up at him and beckon him closer, so she could wrap her arms around his neck and pull him in close for a kiss. Damon wouldn't hesitate press his body against hers and enjoy the feel of her silky smooth legs wrapping around his waist.

 _Damn it! I'm acting like a horny teenager,_ Damon scolds himself. He silently blames future Elena for getting him all riled up. Maybe, he should go to the Grill. He always manages to find what he needs to take the edge off in that small-town bar; no matter if it's a drink, a meal, or a woman to entertain his evenings. Decision made, Damon stalks out of his bathroom into his bedroom to find an uninvited guest.

"Caroline," Damon nearly jumps out of his skin upon seeing her draped over his bed. To cover his surprise, he feints modesty and grabs at his towel. "Towel…knock…"

"Damon, no one cares. No," the blonde responds with a mocking sneer from her comfy pose on the four-poster bed. She seems to take more joy in the statement than expected, but he decides not to comment.

"In the future, how often do you sneak into my room while I'm naked?" He asks with a pointedly raised eyebrow.

"Eww, never," Caroline makes a gagging face before continuing. "No one wants to see that. How about you put some clothes on, so we can talk?"

"About what?"

"The future, duh."

"So, talk," Damon snaps as he tugs the towel from his waste and unabashedly flashes Caroline. She cringes and slaps a hand over her eyes.

"Damon…ugh…why do I even bother," she grumbles under her breath. He smirks at her reaction and realizes she's not surprised by his behavior. At least, the future version of him still enjoys antagonizing the blonde.

"Shouldn't you be scouring this miserable town for your demon spawn?" He asks as he saunters into his walk-in closet in search of clothes.

Caroline sighs as she drops her hands to her lap and listens to Damon riffling through his designer wardrobe. "It's no use. I won't find them until they want to be found. Cloaking spells are kind of their thing. So, at this point, the only thing I can do is wait."

"So, why are you waiting in my room?" Caroline smiles as she hears him fighting to pull on a pair of pants and decides to have a little fun with him.

"Your room? Oh, right. I guess it's still yours for now."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Damon asks, poking his head out of the closet as he slips on a black belt.

"In about a decade, give or take, you'll give everything you own to me, including your half of the boarding house."

"What? That's ridiculous. Why in hell would I do that?"

"You lost a bet."

"What kind of bet?" Damon asks, stepping out to the closet wearing only jeans and carrying a dress shirt.

"A bet you were certain you'd win," Caroline answers with smug smile. "But, didn't."

"Care to tell me what the bet was about?" Damon asks, slipping into his dark shirt with a scowl. Caroline's expression turns serious and she slips to the edge of the bed to hang her legs over the side.

"If I tell you, you might avoid making the bet."

"Of course, I will. I like my collection of valuables. But mostly, I don't like the idea of losing to you," he sneers.

"Oh, I know," she smiles fondly at him, which catches Damon off guard. Again, he's struck by her familiarity toward him. Like, she's use to his snide remarks and bad attitude and doesn't take it personally.

"The problem, Damon," Caroline says with a heavy sigh, "is that changing even the smallest detail can have drastic effects on the future."

"What do you care? You said nothing here will affect your time line."

"It's not my timeline that I'm worried about," she murmurs.

"What the hell does that mean, Caroline? I don't speak time traveler."

"It means that I have to tell you something, Damon. And, how you react will change your timeline. It will affect not only your future, but your brother's, too. It'll affect everyone around you. So, I need you to not be a dick about it, okay?"

Damon watches Caroline jump from the bed and pace across his bedroom as she rambles. She's nervous about something and he's tired of being patient.

"Out with it, Blondie."

"Not until you promise that you won't say a word to anyone else. Especially, your Elena and Stefan. I have to figure out how to tell them. And, I've been racking my brain, but everything I come up with ends with someone getting hurt. And, it's not like I don't have enough to deal with, but my Elena is with your Elena digging up old memories. Eventually, one of those memories is going bust our secret wide open. Stefan and Elena may be the King and Queen of denial, but they're not stupid. And, finding out that way is probably the worst way…"

"Stop," Damon demands, grabbing Caroline by the shoulders firmly. "Tell me what's going on. I'm happy to play the bad guy and rip off the proverbial band-aid."

"You can't," Caroline implores him. "This isn't just about them. It's about you, too. If you don't handle it right, everything will be ruined and we'll all be miserable."

"Because the future is all rainbows and unicorns?" Damon mutters, dropping his arms to step away from Caroline.

"Far from it. But, Stefan and I…you and Elena…were all happy. I mean, as happy as four vampires can be in the real world."

"What are you talking about, Caroline," Damon asks, barely above a whisper. He's anxious to hear the clear and undeniable truth because her cryptic words are driving him crazy. He's tired of fighting off the sliver of hope that keeps breaking free from his doubt. He ignores his increased heartrate at the possibilities racing through his mind. One idea keeps poking at the butterflies in his stomach no matter how hard he tries to drown it out.

"Stefan and Elena broke up. They aren't together anymore."

Caroline watches Damon as she finally reveals the big secret. She's not certain how this Damon will respond. He could freak out about the possibility of actually having what he wants most and completely self-destruct. A Salvatore murder spree is certainly not something Caroline can handle at the moment. Of course, Damon could also respond to the confirmation that Elena will eventually choose him over Stefan with a cruel satisfaction. Flaunting his impending success in front of Elena and Stefan could drive them closer together and destroy his chances of winning the doppelgänger's heart. Neither option would affect her timeline in the least, but Caroline still wants everyone she loves in this timeline to be happy. With the exception of a few colossal events, the Salvatore family has been immensely happy over the last two centuries. So, if she can maintain the future, she will.

Caroline watches Damon's reaction to her statement. She needs to nip any destructive responses in the bud. Of all the paths she'd expected Damon to take, Caroline never considered the possibility that he might not react at all. For an instant, his face softens to the kind, innocent young man she met several decades ago during a trip in time to the nineteenth century. The expression of hope and disbelief on Damon's face disappears so fast that anyone who'd known him less than two centuries would never have noticed the change. Instead, they would see only the hard mask of indifference. But, Caroline has known this man far too long to miss the hope hidden behind his sarcastic smirk and cold blue eyes.

 _He doesn't believe me._

"Yeah, they 'broke up' yesterday, in fact," Damon mutters using air quotes and Caroline frowns in confusion. "I bet you couldn't tell from all the cuddling and hand holding earlier. Of course, I'm fairly certain that was a fake break up. But, the one from a several weeks back, wasn't. You know, when Elena claimed she couldn't handle the whole vampire thing. And, then when she changed her mind, Saint Stefan decided Elena would be safer if he walked away. Only, he came right back at the smallest provocation. Those two are so hell bent on being martyrs I'm betting they break up a dozen times over the span of their epic love story."

Caroline's jaw drops at Damon's unexpected rant and then slowly she smiles.

"Well, you're not wrong." When Damon glares at her, Caroline continues. "They did break up several times, and they both have a tendency to put their loved ones before themselves. But, that's one of the reasons we love them."

Caroline's eyes drop to the floor and she smiles softly as though reliving a fond memory. Damon watches her soft expression curiously. He wonders if her smile is for 200 years of friendship with Elena or something deeper with Stefan. Maybe, Caroline's claim that the happy couple's latest break up is permanent is the blonde's wishful thinking. Damon certainly won't believe the claim without hard proof. They're vampires for crying out loud. Stefan and Elena could break up a hundred times, they'd still have an eternity to work it out.

 _It'll always be Stefan._

Shaking his head, Damon opens his mouth to tease Caroline about her obvious affection for the younger Salvatore brother. He can't imagine that her husband is happy about her little crush. Then, again, he's probably more concerned about the Original hybrid stalking his wife. Before Damon can voice his taunts and abrasive accusations, he stumbles on Caroline's next words.

"I mean, that's how Elena eventually died, saving someone she loved."

"What?" He whispers in a hoarse voice. The pain in his tone catches Caroline by surprise and she snaps her eyes to meet his swirling, blue gaze. She immediately regrets her words and rushes to reassure Damon.

"But, she survived, sort of. Luckily, she had your blood in her system, so, once again, you saved her from herself."

Damon takes a moment to absorb the new information and Caroline watches the frown lines on his face with concern. She honestly hoped for a more positive response from Damon. Not about Elena's unplanned death, of course, but about his future with said doppelgänger. It's like he hasn't quiet grasped the concept, yet.

"So, I sired Elena?" He asks. When Caroline nods, he continues. "Why didn't Stefan?"

"It wasn't intentional, and it's super complicated. But, it basically comes down to the fact that you're a blood slut that can't keep track of his own blood donations or theft."

"Theft?"

"It doesn't matter, Damon. The important part is that Elena is a vampire and she broke up with Stefan," Caroline almost yells at the older Salvatore, expecting him to finally accept it.

"Why is that such a big deal to you?" Damon counters as he turns away from her and pulls out the hideaway bar in his bookshelf. "Do you think just because they have a little hiccup in their romance, Stefan will forget about Elena and suddenly notice you, Caroline? That's kind of pathetic, don't you think?"

Caroline watches Damon with absolute confusion. She's not certain how to respond to the barb. "I don't remember you being this slow."

Damon pauses mid-pour to glare at Caroline and sucks on his cheek in annoyance. "Does it bother your husband? The fact that you're in love with Stefan."

"No, not at all," Caroline answers with a smug smirk. She opens her mouth to add a snappy comeback but pauses as it hits her. "I'm standing here trying to figure out why you're acting this way, but it's my fault. I haven't actually said it, have I? And, you're so…damaged…you can't let yourself truly consider the possibility, can you?"

Damon doesn't say anything. He just glares at the blonde and brings his glass to his lips to savor the taste of his precious bourbon.

"I'm sorry. I wasn't clear enough earlier. So, let me be crystal: Stefan and Elena broke up two centuries ago because she fell in love with you, you great, big dick."


	17. Chapter 17

**AN:** My muse is working overtime this weekend, so I plan to have the next chapter up tomorrow.

Chapter 17

Elena sits at the back of her old SUV refusing to look out the window. She wants to do it. She wants to watch the familiar roads of her home town and remember every wonderful moment of growing up in Mystic Falls. She wants to remember the sleepovers and birthday parties with Caroline and Bonnie. She wants to remember the family nights with her parents, Aunt Jenna, and Jeremy. She especially wants to remember the years spent with Jeremy and Alaric as they built their own families. But, she doesn't need Mystic Falls to savor those wonderful memories. She enjoys them everyday.

Elena knows that if she gives in to the nostalgia of Mystic Falls, it won't be the memories of her first century that will surge to fore front of her mind. It'll be memories from her second. This last century consists of the most wonderful years of her existence, but also the worst. Elena would love nothing more than to submerge her consciousness in the priceless memories of her life with Damon in Mystic Falls. But, she doesn't do it. She refuses to embrace the good memories because that would mean facing the bad ones. The horrible, crippling memories that she's stubbornly refused to face for 50 years. Not a day goes by that she doesn't miss the emptiness that a lack of humanity afforded her. Every day she struggles with the temptation to return to that shelter, but every day her love for Damon is stronger than her attraction to the emptiness. So, instead of staring out the car window nostalgically, Elena watches her counterpart sit in the front passenger seat holding Stefan's hand while he drives them all to Elena's house.

Elena's house. The house that burned to the ground 200 years ago. The house that Jeremy and Elena grew up in. The house in which their parents once lived and Jenna still does. Jenna. Alaric. Jeremy. They are all alive. But, Elena pushes away the thought of seeing them. They aren't her family. Her family lives on through Jeremy's descendants, but the last of Elena's immediate family died with Jeremy over a century ago. So, she refuses to think about them, too. The only reasons she's even in the car is because Jenna texted the other Elena about taking Alaric and Jeremy to a late movie.

"Isn't it weird that Jenna is keeping Jeremy out so late on a school night?" Stefan asks as the street lights from the town square flood the dark car.

"Yeah, actually, but maybe she's trying to arrange some bonding time Alaric or something? I don't know," Elena answers from the front seat and then turns to glance back at her older counterpart. " I'm just bummed you won't get to see them tonight."

Since the two are within the ten foot barrier, the air crackles with energy at the doppelgänger's movement. Vampire Elena knows the energy will dissipate once they put some distance between each other. Or, use it on attaining a new memory. It's odd that she's enjoying the lost memories, when Elena is adamant about avoiding others. But, she isn't avoiding them all. Just the ones that hurt. Sometimes, even the happy memories hurt. She's glad that regaining her lost memories is proving mostly painless.

And, that's why she's here, right? That's why she agreed accompanied the happy couple. Caroline insisted Elena put as much distance between her and Damon. And, given her almost-mistake with the faux Damon, Elena had to agree that it was a good idea. Secret or no secret, this Damon is not her husband. Even, if he is a perfect match for him. Well, almost. Her Damon is slightly more mature. Not much, mind you, but enough to make a difference. Elena is certain that if she wasn't in the midst of a six week dry spell, this Damon would not have such a strong affect on her.

Regardless, she has to stay away. So, when Caroline suggested, or insisted, human Elena and Stefan take vampire Elena home for a visit, she agreed. But, only because Elena plans to vamp-speed away from that house the moment they pull into the drive way. She's here for the journey, not the destination.

"It's fine," vampire Elena says quietly. Her counterpart frowns at the cold response, but doesn't comment. She doesn't turn back to the front of the car but meets the other brunette's brown gaze with concern. Vampire Elena smiles warmly in assurance and glances at the review mirror to find Stefan watching her curiously. She cocks her head at him playfully and raises her eyebrows.

"What?"

"I'm just wondering about what other memories you've lost. How much of you life is just a blank?"

"Nothing is a blank, really," Elena tries to explain. "Just fuzzy. Usually, I know when a memory is wrong because the details are missing. Like, for example… I know how I met Damon because I've been told, but I don't remember much of that night."

"You mean day," human Elena corrects, but pauses when her future version frowns and shakes her head.

"No, it was night. I mean, Damon tried to refresh this particular memory plenty. We've stood on that road a dozen times trying to instigate a memory with no luck."

"What road? What are you talking about? I met Damon at the boarding house. I was looking for Stefan and Damon was being creepy. Remember, he name dropped Katherine?"

Elena frowns as she waddles through 200 years of memory to find the one from the boarding house. She has to admit, Damon was acting creepy that day. And, she remembers the introduction and her lack of recognition. But, Elena is certain that she met Damon several months before on the night of the bonfire. It was the night her parents died. But, then why wouldn't she remember Damon in the boarding house?

Oh, right…compulsion, Elena says silently as she remembers Damon confessing during their first attempt to relive the memory. But, why? Why would he want me to forget meeting him?

Eager for an answer, Elena suddenly rushes forward at vamp-speed and grabs the other doppelgänger's arm. She can hear Stefan's alarmed voice and the glass from with car windows shattering outward from the power surging around them, but it all quickly fades away.

"Where are we?" Human Elena asks as they both stand in the center of a dark road.

"Mystic Falls, the night my parents died," she answers, looking around. She finds Damon lying in the road waiting patiently for his next victim. How many times had they lied on a dark empty road together? Thousands. She smiles fondly at him, remembering how they would past the time by star gazing. With 150 years on her, Damon shared the names he'd already given the brighter stars and constellations. The names were usually playful and she enjoyed making new shapes in the sky with him. The other Elena catches her counterpart's loving expression and glances at Damon.

"What is he doing?"

"Waiting."

"I know, Bonnie. You're right. You and my mom both are, I just can't bring myself to tell him. At least, no tonight. I'll call you later," Elena says with her cellphone pressed against her ear. Distraught by the difficult decision on her mind, she strolls down the dark path without concern for danger. The instant Damon hears the familiar cadence of her voice, he jumps up and vamp-speeds to meet her.

"Katherine," he says breathlessly. Elena looks up to see the hope and disbelief in his cool blue eyes and she stops mid-step. She stares at the stranger's handsome face for an instant before remembering her manners.

"Um…No, I'm Elena," she says looking around. Where did he come from?'

"Oh, you…you just look, ah," he whispers, looking the human up and down. For a moment, he doesn't seem to believe her claim. Like, she's lying about her identity. But, suddenly the hope in his eyes seems to melt away, replaced with an empty pain as he accepts the truth. An instant later, Elena watches the older man push away the emotions and watch her curiously. When he speaks again, he does so cautiously as though he doesn't want to scare her off.

"I'm sorry, you just really remind me of someone. I'm Damon."

"Not to be rude or anything, Damon," she says in her own cautious tone as he steps closer. "But, it's kind of creepy that you're out here in the middle of nowhere."

"You're one to talk," he counters playfully. "You're out here all by yourself."

Elena smiles at him, enjoying the shiver that his dangerous aura seems to be instigating deep inside her.

"It's Mystic Falls. Nothing bad ever happens here," she responds. He raises an eyebrow at the statement as though he knows something she doesn't, but doesn't voice his dissent. Afraid he might leave, Elena continues. "I got into a fight with my boyfriend"

"About what? May I ask?"

"Life, the future. He's got it all mapped out."

"You don't want it?"

"I don't know what I want," she confesses, but Damon scoffs.

"Well, that's not true. You want what everybody wants." Elena smiles at the arrogant response. Damon's confident charm is proving endearing at the moment and she wants to can't help the attraction bubbling up deep within her.

"What? Mysterious stranger who has all the answers," she shamefully flirts with the handsome new stranger. His laughs is deep and husky, and sends shivers down her spine.

"Well, let's just say I've been around a long time. I've learned a few things."

"So, Damon, tell me. What is that I want?"

"You want a love that consumes you. You want passion and adventure and even a little danger."

Elena's smile melts away with each word that reaches out to touch her soul. She's amazed at the passion in his tone, but his eyes lack the same flame. They seem lost and in search of something.

"And, what do you want?"

He falters at the unexpected question like no one's ever asked him. Elena can't help but feel a surge of sadness for the kind man. A car horn disrupts their chat and Elena glances back to confirm.

"That's my parents."

When she looks back, Damon is standing a breath away. His blue eyes stare into brown doe eyes. At first, Elena is alarmed by his sudden proximity, but a wave of calm quickly settles into her bones. When he speaks, his voice is therapeutic and washes away her anxiety.

"I want you to get everything you're look for. But, right now, I want you to forget that this happened. I can't have people knowing I'm in town, yet. Goodnight, Elena."

Then, he's gone.

When the doppelgängers return to the SUV, they find it parked on the side of the dark road with Stefan watching them impatiently. A cool breeze rushes through the broken windows and vampire Elena looks around to gather her bearings.

The other Elena immediately opens her door and rushes out to her knees. Stefan jumps out to help her, but she brushes him away angrily.

"He compelled me!"

"What? Who did?"

"Damon! We met months ago, the same night my parents died. He just compelled me to forget," she explains through angry tears. "How could he do that to me?"

"He didn't know you, then. Honestly, you're lucky he didn't eat you," the older brunette says from the comfort of the car, watching her through the broken window.

"Is that supposed to make me feel better?" When her counterpart just shrugs, Elena growls at her. "How can you not care that he compelled you?"

"Because, I get it. I was a stranger to him. The only reason he took an interest was because I looked like Katherine. You know, the woman he was in love and waited 145 years to release from a tomb."

"He thought I was Katherine at first," human Elena mutters, rolling her eyes. Future Elena purses her lips at her younger version's tone. She didn't like it. She wanted to defend her husband and claim that no one knows her better than Damon Salvatore, but she couldn't. Elena promised Caroline that she'd protect the big secret and jumping to Damon's defense would only garner suspicion. Although, if she's being honest, Elena can't believe she hasn't stumbled upon any sexy time memories, yet. She has to admit their's a certain appeal to reliving the first time with the love of your life. But, that would give every thing away and the cat would be out of the preverbal bag for good. Still, it's going to happen eventually. And, based on their overly active sex life, probably sooner than later. Alas, Elena snaps her mouth shut for now.

"Did you know about this?" Elena asks her boyfriend and he shakes his head vehemently.

"No, I had no idea he was even in town until I started school with you."

"Do you think he had something to do with my parents' deaths?"

"What? How can you asks that?" Vampire Elena all but yells as she jumps from the car to face her counterpart. No matter what, she couldn't stand back and let someone, even her younger self, accuse Damon of such a heinous crime.

"You just said that he didn't know me back then. I was just some girl that looked like Katherine, so my parents meant less than that to him. Why wouldn't he kill them? He's a psychopath. Or, have you forgotten that?!"

"Elena," Stefan interrupts. "Damon didn't do it."

"How do you know that? You said so yourself that he's a monster with no humanity left."

"Because it wasn't his style," the older doppelgänger explains. "If he had killed my parents, they would've been eaten, not drowned."

"And," Stefan eyes both Elenas as though his next comment is obvious. "I would have seen him at the crash when I rescued you."

The younger Elena seems to deflate at the explanations. She isn't sure if she's disappointed at having no one to blame for her parents' deaths or relieved that Damon isn't her parents murderer.

Stefan watches his girlfriend sigh in resignation and slips an arm around her shoulders to help her stand. The wind howls around them forcefully and he signals for vampire Elena to step back. As she follows his request, the wind slowly dies to a mild breeze.

"I can't believe he compelled me," Elena whispers into Stefan's shoulder before pulling away to stare at her counter part. "Does he do it, again? Since, he's known me has he compelled me without me knowing it?"

"Uh," the older Elena hesitates to answer because she's not certain. "Maybe. I think so, anyway."

"And, you're just okay with that? How can you not care that he's compelled you? That's he's messed with your mind?" Elena almost yells as she stomps toward the short-hairs brunette.

"I do care. It was just a long time ago for me. I've moved on from it."

"I don't believe you. I don't believe you're me. I don't believe you cared at all when you found out," Elena exclaims, grabbing the vampire's arm to prove her theory. The wind surges around them to form a small tornado. The SUV skitters across the road and Stefan flies into a nearby ditch. Elena yells his name, but suddenly everything is gone, again.

The girls stand in the front yard of small house with a large barn behind it. Bodies of armed men litter the ground and Damon stands in the midst of it all covered in blood. His black, leather jacket is torn from shot gun pellets, but the victorious smirk on his lips reveal the fun he had killing his latest prey.

"What's going on? Who are these people?" Human Elena asks and then pauses when Damon's grin disappears to be replaced by pain and bloodlust. "What wrong with him?"

"This is the day after I died," vampire Elena explains. "He's angry and hurt. So, he's doing what he does best."

"Lashing out." Two sets of brown eyes meet in recognition of the damage Damon can cause when he lashes out. They both snap to a body that isn't quiet dead. The prone form coughs through the blood from his neck wound.

"Matt?" The young Elena says, but the older vampire places a comforting hand on her arm. The emotions from this memory are a storm of chaos for vampire Elena, but she knows that everything ends well, eventually.

Damon slowly strolls over to Matt as he struggles to his feet. Before he makes much progress, Damon kicks the pitiful human over, so that he stares up at the vampire from his back.

"Go ahead and kill me. You can't possibly hate me more than I hate myself," Matt says with his hand pressed to his bloody neck.

"What happened to him?" Elena asks, but her older counterpart shushes her.

"Oh, yes, I can," Damon counters and places his boot against Matt's neck. The high school senior struggles agains the pressure cutting off his air, but the vampire doesn't budge. "It should've been you."

Suddenly, Elena appears from the barn and tackles Damon to the ground. She growls at him threateningly with her vampire face and screams at him to leave Matt alone.

Human Elena squeals at he sudden appearance of her vampire form and, having never seen her face twisted into a vampire, she's greatly unnerved.

Damon on the other hand is relieved. Even though she stopped him from reeking vengeance on the overly useless Matt Donovan, Damon is thrilled to see Elena in all her vampire glory. He was concerned that Stefan's absurd idea of preventing the inevitable would get Elena killed. Permanently this time. And, he wasn't sure he could've ever forgiven his saintly brother if that was the case.

Luckily, here she is straddling him and growling as though she could ever scare him. If anything, she's turning him on. But, he quickly clamps down on the urge to roll her over and pin her beneath him. Nope, he won't do it. He won't smile at her, either. She doesn't deserve his smile, not even a naughty smirk. She made her choice and as always he's on the losing end.

He honestly thought for a second that she'd pick him. They'd grown so close over the past few months without pesky little brother handing around. Granted, Damon made a couple of mistakes along the way, but so had Stefan. And, that kiss in Denver, wow. There's no way she could deny their chemistry. But, it didn't matter. She'd chosen the better brother. She chose to let Damon die alone, so she could run home to be with Stefan in his last moments on Earth. And, it had gotten her killed. Still, she chose Stefan.

It'll always be Stefan, Damon angrily mutters to himself as he pushes Elena off and Matt stumbles away to safety. The menacing vampire quickly turns toward his car and stomps away, intent to leave Elena behind to clean up the mess he'd made rescuing her. Alas, getting rid of Elena is never easy.

"You were going to kill him," she accuses and Damon doesn't hesitate to answer as he continues trudging toward his car.

"Yep, the guy just won't die."

"It was my choice to save him. Why aren't you seeing that."

Finally, Damon stops in front of his car and angrily glares at her pointedly. "It's a little hard to keep track of all your decisions lately, Elena." Elena dips her head at him guiltily and he turns from her to leave.

Human Elena frowns at the meaning in Damon's words, wondering what recent decision has Damon so upset and her future self feeling so guilty. The doppelgänger at her side struggles to find the same missing puzzle piece. She racks her brain for the memory that would explain Damon's animosity toward her. Yes, he was upset when she died, but shouldn't he be angry with Stefan or Matt. Maybe, he's mad because Elena chose to sacrifice herself to save Matt. Even after 200 years, nothing pisses Damon off faster than Elena and Stefan's sense martyrdom.

"I remember everything." The baby vampire's words cut though Damon like a wooden sword. He turns to look at her and she stares imploringly at him. "One of the highlights of my transition, remembering everything that you compelled me to forget."

Slowly, Damon joins Elena in front of his car and waits for her to continue. It's obvious he's still upset, but a spark of hope dances deep inside his blue gaze. Still, he refuses to look at her. He stands square like a man awaiting a scolding he's heard a thousand times before.

"Like, how you and I met first. You were a stranger that told me you want me to get everything that I wanted from life."

Human Elena considers the new vampire's description of her first meeting with Damon and can't find fault with it. She'd been so focused on the compulsion part of the memory, she'd forgotten about the rest of it. Damon was kind to her and insightful, but that wasn't anything new. He'd always had knack for cutting through the complexity of life and breaking it down to simplistic needs and desires. Like, when he told her to quit cheerleading or declared that any mother that would give Elena up for adoption sucked. No, Damon's behavior during their forgotten conversation wasn't unusual in the least, but Elena's response to him was. She smiled and played with him, like she enjoyed his flirtatious teasing. She even flirted back at one point. Human Elena tried not to thing about her reaction to the handsome stranger, but she couldn't ignore the impression he seemed to have on the newly turned version of herself. The baby vampire seems awed by the revelation, not even bothered by the compulsion.

"Damon, why didn't you tell me?"

"Would if have made a difference?" He asks in a gruff, almost broken voice, and finally mets her gaze. He wants an honest answer from her, from which neither of them can hide. Her silence is deafening and he turns away. "I didn't think so."

"You asked me to make a choice, Damon. So, I did," Elena argues with a stern voice. "If you're going to be mad, then take it out on me, not on Stefan or Matt or anyone else, me."

"Are we done here?"

The short-haired doppelgänger from 200 years in the future sucks in a painful breath as she watches Damon. She can see the shattered pieces of his heart past his cold tone, and she knows that she's the cause of his pain. Elena doesn't know how or when, but something happened. She was forced to make decision that hurt him. And, though she doesn't remember it, Elena regrets her decision. She hates thinking of her Damon hurting this way, even if it was two centuries ago.

"If it had been you at the bridge last night and not Stefan and I had begged you to save Matt…"

"I would have save you. In a heartbeat, no question," he all but yells at her.

"That's what I thought. And, Matt would be dead because you couldn't let go," she argues and when he doesn't seem to care. Elena attempts to force the seriousness of the situation into his brain with a firm tone. "Matt would be dead."

"But, you wouldn't be," he says with such anger and regret that sets Elena on her heals. "And, you would've gotten to grow up and had the life you wanted. The life you deserve. And, I know I didn't use to get that, but I do now. And, I wanted that for you, Elena. And, I would gladly have given it you and let Matt die because I am that selfish."

The passion in his voice reverberates inside all three Elenas. One is frightened by the intensity, but can't deny her attraction to it. Another accepts his unabashed devotion and makes a mental note to kiss her husband at the first opportunity. The final one drowns in a whirlpool of confusing emotions.

Damon leans close and whispers pointedly to Elena. "But, you knew that already. The first night we met's not all that you remember."

As Damon leaves in a huff, the new vampire struggles with her feelings for this absurdly complicated man and the moral implications of her death. But, she can't help the feeling of loss at his departure. She wanted to chose him, but she couldn't. Not if there was a chance at fixing things with Stefan. She'd always regret it and wonder about how things could've been if she walked away now.

The older vampire rejoices at having another piece of the puzzle in place. She's not certain about this decision that seems to have Damon pissed off at her, but she's not worried. She knows how this love story ends. Or, rather continues into eternity.

The human doppelgänger surges with a torrent of raw emotion. She's comforted that her future self protected Matt from Damon's wrath, but it seems Elena made a choice to turn in order to save her friend. A choice that Damon disagreed with and Stefan encouraged. Damon wanted to her stay human and have the life she always wanted. He would sacrifice others to make it happen without batting an eye. Elena knows that kind of love is dangerous and she shouldn't encourage it, but there's also something deep within her that longs to experience such passion. She certainly doesn't feel that way for Stefan, now. Will that change? Her love must grow deeper over the next two centuries, right?

That kind of love is deep, but selfish. Elena shouldn't want anything to do with that kind of emotion. She doesn't want to be that person. She doesn't want to be like Damon. He is that selfish. He said so himself. He also implied that there was another compelled memory.

"He did compel us, again," Elena says as soon as they return to reality. The moment she speaks, Stefan forcefully pushes vampire Elena back. He doesn't want any more memory strikes tonight. He's not certain he SUV could handle it.

"What else did you remember when you transitioned? What memory did he steal from us?"

"I don't know.."

"Let me guess, you don't remember," Stefan mutters, obviously annoyed. He's trying not to let it bother him that every memory strike seems to be about Damon. If future Elena was so distraught about Stefan's death that she mind-wiped all her memories regarding the him and thus Damon, too, why hasn't she regained any memories about the younger Salvatore? You know, the she's supposed to be in love with?

"Bingo," Elena says, flashing her ex-lover a playful smile. "Why don't we find out?"

"Nope," Stefan snaps as he jumps between the doppelgängers before they can touch. "Not tonight. Your car is trashed, Elena, so I'm putting my foot down. No more memory strikes tonight. At least, not until we get you home."

"Or, we could just call Damon and ask him," the older vampire offers.

"What makes you think he'll tell the truth?" The human argues with a huff.

"Only one way to find out," vampire Elena responds with cocked eyebrow before pulling out her newly acquired burner. Stefan had given one to her and Caroline before their departure form the boarding house. Naturally, they had taken a few minutes to program all the important numbers.

All three of them slowly make their way to the trashed SUV, while vampire Elena dials Damon's phone number. The phone picks up about the same time that Stefan and his girlfriend lean against the front passenger-side door in an impatient manner.

"Hello."

"Caroline, why do you have Damon's phone? Is he okay?"


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18

The glass in Damon's hand shatters. He barely notices. Instead, he stares at Caroline with wide eyes, mouth slightly open, and hand position next to his mouth as though still holding the lost glass. Caroline accepts his surprise as a sign that he finally understands the situation and smiles triumphantly at him. But, after several moments of silence, Caroline begins to worry.

 _Can a vampire have a stroke?_

A shrill ringing pierces the silent room and both vampires glance at Damon's phone vibrating on his dresser. The noise seems to shatter Damon's frozen stance and he takes a deep breath. Caroline grabs his phone to answer it, but watches Damon curiously. He seems to just now notice the shards of glass impaling his hand and the bloody bourbon dripping down his arm.

"Hello," Caroline says into the phone as she hands Damon his previously discarded towel. She motions for him to clean up the mess and he takes the towel as though in a haze.

"Caroline? Why do you have Damon's phone? Is he okay?"

Damon immediately snaps out of his daze at the sound of Elena's voice. He looks up to meet Caroline's gaze and she raises an eyebrow at him. She rolls her eyes at his predictability.

"He's…adjusting to a new reality."

"What?"

"Tell her we need to speak with Damon, now." Caroline frowns at the angry version of Elena almost yelling in the background.

"I'm getting to it," Future Elena snaps at her counterpart.

"Hey, let's just stay calm," Stephan starts, but a rustling quickly cuts him off. Suddenly, music from a radio blares and a car door slams shut. Neither vampire can hear anything in the background thanks to the music, assuring them of privacy from the human and her boyfriend.

"What's wrong with Damon?" The concern in Elena's voice makes Damon smile and his brain cells slowly start to fire, again.

"Nothing," Caroline assures her sister-in-law. "I just spilled the beans. I'm hoping he can help soften the blow when we have to tell the Stefan and the other Elena."

"Oh," she pauses for moment before continuing. "How'd he take it?"

"I think 'deranged deer in headlights' sums it up." Damon narrows his eyes at Caroline's barb, but doesn't disagree. That's kind of how he feels. It's like he's staring into the bright light of happiness awaiting the sudden impact of reality. Elena falls in love with him? How's that possible? She hates him and loves Stefan. That's how it's supposed to be. She promised it would always be Stefan. Is he really supposed to believe that some time in the future she just shifts gears and dumps the good brother for the bad? That's ludicrous.

 _I need to eat someone,_ he declares silently as he eyes the exit. His blood lust is broiling under the surface and the urge for violence and mayhem is tantalizing.

"No sarcastic remarks or threats of bodily harm?" Elena asks and Damon savors the sound of her voice as an aching in his chest tugs at him. This isn't his Elena. His Elena may hate him, but this Elena loves him. Suddenly, the ache in his chest swells and the need for escape rocks him like a hurricane.

"Not a word," Caroline confirms grimly with an unhappy frown. A silent Damon means trouble. So does a loud Damon. Hell, any Damon can mean trouble. But, his silent contemplation and sudden eye obsession with the bedroom door has Caroline on edge.

"Let me guess, he's making a beeline for the door." Damon stops mid-step to see Caroline lay the phone on his bed with the speaker turned up.

"Yep," she confirms with pointed look at him.

Damon realizes that this Elena knows him better than anyone. She knows him because she's spent the last two hundred years loving him. Damon tries to imagine an eternity with Elena the way he'd always imagined it with Katherine. But, he can't. His Elena has never graced him with a flirtatious smile or blushed happily at his compliments. She has never laughed unabashedly at his jokes or teased him playfully. She's never curled against his chest for comfort or let him run his fingers along her skin. His Elena doesn't even want him around her. How can he expect her to ever want him the way this Elena seems to? It's like they're two different people.

"Damon, the stars look pretty tonight," she says and he frowns at the odd comment.

"What?" He speaks for the first time and realizes his throat is dry

"The stars. There's no overhang tonight, so I can see all our stars."

"Our stars?" His heart stutters. The idea of 'our' or 'we' pertaining to Damon and Elena is like a dream com true. That ember of hope that Damon's struggled to extinguish since Elena walked into his life is now a red hot flame engulfing his heart. The heat from his chest makes it heard to breath.

"Yeah," Elena answers quietly and Damon can hear the small smile in her voice. "Our stars. Like, Captain Cohort is bright as ever, but Lily is dimming just a bit. I think that's because Mars is just too close, right now. Of course, QB is dominating the sky as always."

"QB?"

"Queen Bitch. I can't tell you how annoying it is that you named the North Star after Katherine," Elena pauses for Damon's chuckle and twirls around in the middle of the road happily. "I guess, I'll learn to forgive you, eventually."

"Eventually," Damon agrees, letting the burning fire of hope within him settle into a simmer of happiness. He imagines what it's like to star gaze with Elena, to share with her the names he'd given to the brightest stars in the sky. He's spent thousands of nights lying alone on a dark road staring up at the sky ad waiting for the night he'd free Katherine from her prison. He'd always planned to stargaze with her and proudly point out the brightest star in the sky as her namesake. Of course, that was before he learned what that she was the Queen Bitch of Slutsville. Thus, the name change.

It seems like his future stargazing will be even better than he imagined. One day, he'll have everything he ever wanted from life. He'll have Elena.

 _Not this Elena,_ he reminds himself. _But, if I do this right, I could have my Elena. And, she'd truly be mine._

"Feel better?" Caroline asks from her corner of the obsessively clean room.

"Shove it, Blondie."

"That means, yes," Elena translates with a quiet giggle that sends shivers down Damon's back. He can't stop the absurdly goofy grin from spreading across his face.

"And, there it is," Caroline observes with an obnoxious eye roll before steering the conversation back on track. "So, why did you call, Elena?"

"She was calling me, remember?" Damon says as he snatches up his phone before Caroline could reach it. "So, what can I do for you, Beautiful?"

"Well, I was hoping you could help me with something," Elena answers happily, obviously enjoying Damon's attention.

"You're supposed to be at your house by now. You should be having a very emotional, but celebratory reunion with your family. Remember Jeremy and Alaric? And, Jenna, for crying out loud?" Caroline interrupts.

"We were on our way, but riding in the same car doesn't allow for the 10 foot rule. So, we've stumbled across a memory or two," Elena explains.

"Please tell me that none of them were incriminating," Caroline hisses into the phone in Damon's hand and he frowns at the offensive sound.

"Now, by incriminating do you mean…"

"I mean you and Elena doing the dirty in every single room of the boarding house and, at least, once in the girls bathroom of the Grill," Caroline shudders at the memory. "I will be forever scarred by that one."

"We've got three years of wiped memories to recover, Caroline. I'm sure there are plenty of 'non-incriminating' memories to focus on," Elena reassures her friend. Damon is too distracted by the idea of sex with Elena to realize the girls are still talking.

"Except that you spent the entire Summer before college shacking up with Damon. I remember because I was pissed that I had to put up him every time we wanted to hang out. It was like you were permanently lipped locked with the bad boy of Mystic Falls, and a skilled surgeon couldn't separate you two."

And, suddenly Damon's focus is back on the conversation as he listens intently.

"Really?" Elena says through the phone in a frustrated tone. "All I can remember from that Summer is being really happy. Jeremy was back and…something…it's all very hazy."

"That's because it was all about Damon."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Damon asks in an offended tone.

"If her memory is hazy that means the compulsion is affecting it," Caroline explains.

"So, what's that have to do with me?"

"All my lost memories are about you, Damon," Elena clarifies and he frowns.

"Why?"

"It's…complicated," Elena mutters. She doesn't have the heart to explain everything now. It's days like this that she still feels the guilt of her mistake. "Just know that we moved past it and made many more memories together."

The goofy grin is back and Damon is glad Elena can't see him. She'd think him a fool for not being able to stop smiling.

 _She's not your Elena,_ he reminds himself, but the smile remains.

"Look, just focus on the memories before you turned, for now," Caroline advises. "Once we break the news to Stefan and the other you, you can expand beyond that. Hell, I'm sure Damon will want to help when he gets here. Your Damon, I mean."

Damon's smile disappears.

"I'll try, but it's not that easy. The memory strikes aren't chronological. And, I've already come across one from my first night as a vampire," Elena admits.

"Is that why you called?" Damon asks.

"Sort of. We've recovered two memories since leaving the boarding house."

"Well, you've been a busy little bee. Funny, it's almost like you wanted to be stuck in a small space with your younger self," Damon teases.

"Hmmm, I wonder why," she answers with a giggle. "The first memory was about the night we met."

"So?" Caroline responds. When she catches sight of the vampire's guilty expression, she adds. "What did you do, Damon?"

"Nothing, I was a perfect gentlemen," he answers innocently, but Caroline doesn't buy it.

"Uh, huh."

"He was," Elena confirms. "Except, he compelled me to forget afterwards."

"And? We already knew that, Elena," Caroline snorts. "Damon must've dragged you through that memory a dozen times when he first got back."

"Got back?" Damon asks, but Caroline waves the question away as unimportant. The older Salvatore makes a face at her for dismissing him, but lets it go.

"I know, but now I actually remember it. And, I don't care about the compulsion, but the other me does."

"I take she's not happy," Damon mutters in a resigned tone. He kind of feels guilty that he's enjoying future Elena's presence more than her present-day version. He can only imagine what kind of trouble that's going to cause.

"No, she isn't, which is why I called."

"Let me guess, she wants me apologize and leave town immediately. You know, I know a great little town on the coast that has a magnificent little private beach. I bet you'd enjoy skinny dipping in the ocean and making sand castles."

"Your right, I did enjoy it. With my husband," Elena says with meaningful, yet slightly flirty tone.

"Mmmmm," he breathes, enjoying the the tantalizing scenes playing through his head. He only now appreciates the creative aspects of his imagination. With the right muse, he can entertain himself for days.

"Okay, someone needs to take a cold shower," Caroline mutters and Elena giggles through the phone.

"Well, before you go, tell me about the other times you've compelled me to forget. Maybe, the other me and I can recover them."

"Elena, I don't know what you're talk about. I've only compelled you once."

"No, in the memory from after I turned, you mentioned at least one other compulsion. It seemed important to you," Elena argues, but Damon shakes his head, forgetting for a moment only Caroline can see him.

"Obviously, it hasn't happened, yet," Caroline offers. "But, tell me about it, maybe I can offer some insight."

"Why would you know anything about it?" Damon asks with a twisted brow.

"Because, Elena is my sister and she tells me everything. And, I do mean _everything_. So remember that when have the sudden urge to be an asshole."

"Like, now?"

"Like, always."

"Okay, let's focus people. I have two impatient teenagers on my end that are getting restless. So, let's do this quickly," Elena implores them.

"Well, what do you know about it?" Caroline asks.

"Only that it has something to do with Damon being selfish."

"That doesn't narrow it down, like, at all," the blonde says with a frown at Damon, who just shrugs.

"Well, do you remember me telling you about it after I turned? That's when I found out."

"Not really, but…" Caroline snatches the phone from Damon's palm, ignoring his protects, and tries hard to think back two centuries. Finally, she sighs and shakes her head with her free hand held out in irritation. "We weren't exactly on good terms at that point, Elena."

"Shocker," Damon murmurs and Caroline glowers at him.

"I don't remember us fighting," Elena says.

"That because it was about the Prince of Darkness over here. Practically, the moment you turned you went from Team Stefan to Team Damon. It's a wonder we didn't figure it out sooner," Caroline says, rolling her eyes at her own ignorance.

"Figure what out?"

"That I'm the perfect specimen of man? Duh." Caroline waves her hand in annoyance at Damon. Sometimes, the man is incapable of taking anything seriously. She walks away from him toward the bathroom, so she can hear Elena better. The music on her end may drown out an eavesdropper, but it also means she has to concentrate just to hear sister-in-law speak.

"That you were sired to him, Elena."

"What she's sired to me?" Damon asks, surprised by the sudden reveal. That's a major piece of information not to share with someone immediately. It's like a giant asterisk on the whole 'two hundred years together' claim. Caroline waves Damon away, again. She can catch him up later.

"Right, I guess that did cause some trouble when we first figured it out," Elena says as though it isn't the biggest f-you card Damon's ever had dealt to him in his entire life.

"Yeah, and but that time you'd already broken up with Stefan and jumped into bed with Damon. Stefan and I weren't exactly thrilled with you."

"What?!" Damon exclaims in horror, but Caroline rolls her eyes at his melodramatics. In an annoyed huff, she storms out of the room, closing the door behind her, and finds the nearest bathroom. Within seconds, she has the bathroom locked and the shower running.

"Did you just get rid of Damon?" Elena asks.

"He's driving me crazy. It's like come on, pull herself together. I can't fill him in on everything and answer you're questions all at once. That man needs to learn some patience."

"Good luck with that," Elena chuckles.

"Thanks. Anyway, I think I remember you telling me something about Damon compelling you in your room, but I'm not sure."

"In my room? So, we did something in my room that he wanted me to forget."

"Don't worry. If it was something that qualified as cheating, I would definitely remember it," Caroline assures her.

"That's good to know, at least," she answers with a smile and then sighs. "In my room. Okay, I guess that's where we need to start."

"It would probably help to be in your room when you attempt to recall the memory."

"Yeah, I figured as much," Elena mutters and Caroline frowns in concern for her.

"You can do this, Elena. It'll be good for you. Maybe, even help you get back to normal."

Elena doesn't answer and Caroline wonders if she went too far. Her worry is justified when Elena abruptly hangs up on her.

Damon sits on his bed, staring at the floor like a man that's had everything stolen away from him. And, that's how he feels. When Caroline told him that Elena fell in love with him, he believed her. Somehow, despite all logic, he believe that he would win Elena. But, that was foolish. He doesn't deserve Elena.

How could she ever truly love him? She doesn't and she never will. A sire bond is not real love. It's magic of the worst kind. How could he allow himself to be with Elena after learning of the sire bond? How could Elena and Caroline be okay with it? He knows how Elena would deal with it. He probably told her to accept it and not question it. And, she would. She would do anything for him and anything he said.

Damon remembers Charlotte and how he'd tried to break the bond, only to be fooled by a witch. Surely, he found a way to break it within the last 200 years. Then, why would Elena still be with him? Caroline said Elena didn't break up with Stefan until after she turned. That's when the sire bond kicked in. In the future, does he truly sink so low as to accept the sire bond as real love? No, he couldn't take advantage of Elena that way. But, he does. Caroline said as much.

Damon feels sick and gross. He feels dirty, and not the good kind. Does the sire bond only apply to him or just his future self? If he tells vampire Elena to do something, will the sire bond make her do it? He considers future Elena's behavior since he's met her. A sire bond would explain her affection for him. It would also explain why she was so concerned with calming him down after she described the destruction of his car. Wait, if Elena destroyed his car to make him mad, she can't be sired to him. But, she had her humanity off. Does that affect the sire bond?

Damon growls and rubs at his face in frustration. How could this be happening? Moments ago, he was looking forward to a future with Elena Gilbert as his wife. Now, he's looking at an eternity with step-ford Elena.

 _How could this get any worse?_

"Wow, a sire bond? I never saw that coming."

Damon jumps up to find Jo and Lizzie smiling at him on the other side of the giant bed. Their deep blue eyes are as dead and emotionless as the first time he met them. A man that looks like an extra from Deliverance stands behind them with stern expression.

"What the hell? How did you get in here?"

"Cloaking spells are kind of our thing," Lizzie explains with a smirk. She tucks a thick strand of dark, wavy hair behind her ear to join the blue highlights.

"Sorry, I don't speak witch. So, I don't know what that means."

"If I were you, I'd be more interested in this sire bond," Jo says. "It actually makes a lot of sense, considering how dysfunctional you and Elena have always been."

"I hear you two are the most powerful witches in the world," Damon says in a flattering tone.

"I see our reputations precede us," Jo quips. Her pony tail and red highlights give her a severe look that makes her seem like the serious twin.

"So, you should be able to break a sire bond."

"Sorry, Uncle Damon. There's no spell that can do that," Lizzie says with a glance at her sister.

"Nope," she confirms, but they don't seem sorry at all. "Elena's sire bond stemmed from her human feelings for you before she turned. As a vampire, they were heightened. No magic can break that bond."

"You're lying," Damon growls at the heretics.

"Why would we lie?" Jo asks and Lizzie agrees.

"This is far more fun."

Suddenly, Caroline enters the room and stops mid-step with the door still wide open. "What are you doing here?"

"Enjoying our new found freedom, Mother."

"Lizzie, tell me you and your sister didn't kill all those people. Tell me it was Hope or Klaus. Or, even Mason," Caroline pleads as she steps into the room. Tears swell in her eyes when the girls smile coldly at her.

"Hope is busy at the moment. She's gathering important ingredients."

"Ingredients for what?" Damon asks.

"The spell," Lizzie answers.

"It's going to fix everything," Jo adds.

"And, were back to the freaky twin speak…"

"Fix what?" Caroline asks, desperate for an explanation. How could her precious children turn into such monsters?

"Everything, Mom."

"Nothing needs to be fixed. Nothing that's worth this kind collateral damage."

The girls roll their dead eyes Damon feels like he's trapped in a bad mother-daughter feel good movie.

"Not to interrupt this moment of family bonding, but why are you here in my room?"

"Because of you two," Jo answers simply.

"Klaus sent us to find you, Mother," Lizzie explains.

"Why?"

"Well, actually, he sent us to recruit the Ripper of Monterey and said you'd know how to find him," Jo says. "So, how about you make this easy?"

"What do you want with…" Damon tries to asks, but Caroline cuts him off.

"The Ripper of Monterey is not someone to trifle with. What does Klaus want with him?"

Jo glances at Lizzie, who just shrugs. "Something about a distraction."

"Well, that would do it," Damon mutters.

"I'm not telling you anything until you both turn your humanity back on."

Both girls laugh at the absurd demand. "Sorry, Mother. That's not going to happen."

"But, our hybrid friend here," Lizzie says, motioning toward the man behind them. "He's been told to do whatever we say."

"You're not going to hurt me. I'm your mother. And, Klaus would never allow it," Caroline argues with a stern look that would scare any child.

"You're right," Jo agrees. "Besides, we can't risk our humanity clawing it's way back if we hurt you."

"But, no one cares him," Lizzie says, motioning to Damon. A second later, the hybrid has Damon pinned against the wooden wall of his bedroom.


	19. Chapter 19

**AN:** I know this one is short, but the scene ended naturally and I didn't want to keep you guys waiting.

Also...HOLY COW! ONE HUNDRED REVEWS! YEAH!

Thanks so much for following this story and leaving your comments. They truly inspire me to keep writing. I'm constantly thinking about this story and how to connect the random scenes I'd like to play out. But, it can be difficult to put it in writing. When my motivation is lacking, I use the your reviews to remind me that you guys are waiting to see what happens next.

So, again...THANK YOU SO MUCH!

I'd also like to apologize for my grammer. It doesn't matter how many times I re-read a chapter. I always find more mistakes that annoy the heck out of me.

* * *

Chapter 19

"Stop!" Caroline yells at the hybrid. Before she can run to Damon's aid, Jo swings her arm out and a magical force slams Caroline into the wall. Damon struggles against the hybrid, but the forearm jammed against his neck presses harder and breathing becomes difficult. Yellow eyes glow bright as the hybrid's fangs descend. Damon grabs at his attacker's shoulders and face to keep the poison bite at bay, but the hybrid is too strong. He rips into Damon's shoulder eliciting a painful groan from the older vampire.

Caroline quickly jumps to her feet and rushes to stop the hybrid. In an instant, the hybrid's cold, lifeless body slumps to the ground with his heart in Caroline's hand.

"Took you long enough," Damon cringes as he grabs at his injured shoulder and rips away what's left of his shirt sleeve. He watches the bite heal with relief before looking back at the blonde vampire, but Caroline's blue-green gaze fills with an alarming amount of concern. Suddenly, the wound reopens with a sharp pain and small veins of black spread across his pale skin.

"What the hell?"

"Fix him," Caroline demands, spinning around to face her children. Jo and Lizzie look at each other for a moment with matching smiles before turning their identical blue eyes on Caroline.

"Not until you give us what we want," Jo says.

"And, we want the Ripper of Monterey," Lizzie adds.

"You're not going to let your Uncle Damon die," Caroline argues, waving a hand at the Salvatore brother behind her.

"He's not Uncle Damon. Just because he looks and acts like him, doesn't make him so."

"If it talks like duck and walks like a duck, roast me over a hot fire and serve duck a l'orange," Damon argues, earning confused expressions from the twins.

"Ducks are extinct, you idiot," Caroline mutters.

"Really? What happened to all ducks?"

"The point is that in this world he is your Uncle Damon, so you can't let him die."

"This world?" Lizzie repeats with a sneer. "It was Uncle Damon that suggested these time portals aren't actually doorways. We aren't opening a rift from one identical world to another, but creating a temporary duplicate. Once we close the port, this world will disappear. And, everything we do to it in the mean time means nothing."

"Uh, what?" Damon asks with no small amount of alarm. Caroline glances over her shoulder at him with dismissive eye roll.

"You know that Damon is an idiot. And, he has no idea how magic actually works," she argues. "Everything you do here matters, Lizzie. The damage you've caused has changed this world in ways we'll probably never fully understand."

"We like our theory better. Besides, it explains why we've never been able to return to any of the universes we've already visited. Because, they're gone," Jo counters.

"What do you mean gone?" Damon asks, leaning against the wall for support. His head pounds painfully, and a bead of sweat drips from his brow.

"Gone, gone. Like, poof. Disappeared into oblivion."

"Don't listens to them. They just want to believe that the atrocities they've committed in the last 24 hours won't haunt them after they return home," Caroline says to Damon.

"You're so pathetic," Jo growls. "You're so certain that we're going to come crawling back home to you and Dad full of regret and apologies. Well, not this time, Mother."

Lizzie glances at her sister, alarmed by her angry tone, and grasps Jo's hand.

"Careful, Jo. Your humanity is showing," Caroline says with a smirk. Lizzie frowns at the barb and lifts her free hand into the air. Caroline steps back, afraid of the power her daughters can wield. For a moment, Lizzie just smiles at her victims, seeming to enjoy the anticipation. Then, she twists her finger and palms in a circle before forming a strong fist.

Damon screams in agony and falls to his knees. Caroline runs to his side to check his wound and finds it oozing. She watches the dark veins stretch across his chest and neck. Sweat coats his smooth skin, and he squirms from the pain.

"What are you doing to him?!"

"Just a new trick that Hope taught us," Lizzie explains. "It speeds up the affects of the werewolf venom. He'll be dead within minutes if you don't tell us what we want to know."

"Stefan and Damon will be here soon. From our world. How do you think they'll respond when I tell them that you did? Do you think it'll bother your Uncle Damon that you killed him in this world?" Caroline argues with her daughters as she watches Damon writhe on the ground. She covers her face as tears well in her eyes and she sucks in a shaky breath.

"I hate to break this to you, Mother, but they're not coming," Jo says with a chuckle. Caroline drops her hands and looks up at the heretic with confused eyes.

"What to you mean?"

"Klaus likes his distractions and he picked the perfect one to keep anyone from following us. It's amazing that you and Elena made it through before everything kicked off back home. But, rest assured, no one else is coming through that portal."

A flood of silent tears escape, now. Caroline looks away from her children and lays a hand on Damon's chest as he groans in pain. The black veins seem to cover everything now. She shakes her head and runs her hands through her hair before growling in frustration.

"Fine!" She screams at the twins without looking at them. "Heal him and I'll tell you."

Jo steps forward, crouching down to Damon's side opposite of her mother. Her icy blue eyes meet the blonde's teary gaze before Jo touches the hybrid bite and slowly siphons the deadly magic away. A moment later, the dark veins marring Damon's skin disappear and his cries of pain cease. He opens his eyes to find Caroline and Jo staring down at him. He cringes when Jo smiles coldly at him, then she sneers at her Caroline's sobbing gasps.

"I used to think you were the strongest person in the world. You were smart, brave, and beautiful. I wanted to be just like you. But, I never imagined you on your knees crying and sniveling like a scared child. You can stop blubbering, now. He's going to live."

Caroline lifts her gaze to meet the harsh glare from her daughter. When she speaks, her tone is stern and unforgiving, and her words are clear and concise.

"I'm not crying for Damon. I'm crying for you. You and Lizzie were supposed to better than us. You were supposed to be good. But, you'll never forgive yourself for what you've done here. Those people you killed. They will haunt your dreams and plague your conscience for the rest of eternity."

"No, they won't," Jo disagrees smugly. When she moves to step away, Caroline grabs her arm.

"But, they should."

Jo pauses at her mother's gentle touch and the harshness of her words. When she meet's Caroline's imploring gaze, something flickers in the heretics cold eyes. Caroline's heart leaps at the sign of emotion and holds her breath, but the searing pain from her fingers destroys that tiny bit of hope. The hand holding Jo's arm slowly turns cold and loses color an instant before Caroline lets go.

"Don't touch me," Jo whispers with a smirk as she rejoins her sister.

"We did our part. Now, it's time for you to pony up your end of the deal," Lizzie prods.

"Get up," Caroline says as she helps Damon to his feet. He's pale, but the bite wound is gone.

"What are you doing?" He demands from Caroline, concerned about the plans these psycho twins have for his little brother.

"What else would you have me do, Damon? Let you die?" The blond vampire sneers at her sire before turning back to her kids. "Stefan is the ripper you're look for."

The heretics stare at Caroline for moment before bursting into giggles. Damon frowns at the odd reaction and glances at Mama Bear to find her glaring at Jo and Lizzie with her arms crossed and sporting a very annoyed expression.

"You really expect us to believe that?"

"Rippers feed uncontrollably. And, from what we've heard, the Ripper of Monterey is the worst in recorded history. The number of bodies he left behind can only be rivaled by the savagery of their murders," Jo says in a tone of incredulity.

"Yep, that's my little bro," Damon confirms. "With his switch on he's as harmless as a little puppy. But, drop the humanity as he's Kujo on steroids."

"Damon," Caroline scolds him, to which he responds with pointed shrug.

"You're lying," Lizzie accuses the two older vampires with a cold glare. "Rippers can't drink human blood without slipping into a frenzy. We've both seen Dad drink human blood without any problems."

"Did you just say, Dad?"

"Only from blood bags. Have you ever seen him drink from the vein? No? Didn't think so," Caroline says pointedly, ignoring Damon's stunned expression. "Your father has an incredible amount of control because he has to. The moment he falters, a lot of people die."

"So, once again, you've been lying to us," Jo accuses her mother. "How many more secrets are you hiding, _Caroline."_

"We weren't lying. We were protecting you. We wanted you two to have as normal a life as we could give you," Caroline argues.

"Look how that turned out," Lizzie quips with a mischievous glance at Damon. Caroline avoids following her gaze, but she can't hide her guilty expression.

"Oh, God, the future is so weird," Damon mutters to himself as he rubs a hand across his tired eyes. He uses his free hand to point at the twins and then Caroline. "Stefan is your dad? And, your husband?"

"Why do you think we call you _Uncle_ Damon?"

"I figured it was a term of endearment. Kind of like how Caroline calls Elena her sister," Damon explains, but pauses mid-shrug. "Wait..oh, crap."

"Seriously, I do not remember you being this slow. It's like that lightening strike fried all your brain cells or something," Caroline complains.

"I'm sorry, it's kind of hard to put together a jigsaw puzzle when someone refuses to give you all the pieces. It's almost like a certain manipulative, blond vampire doesn't want me to know everything about the future."

"That's why I told you about Elena," Caroline argues. "So, I could fill you in on everything."

"Well, you missed a few things."

"Yeah, because the girls interrupted…" Caroline stops mid rant as she motion toward the twins, only to find them gone. "Dammit."

"Where'd they go?" Damon asks as he spins around to check every corner of his large bedroom.

"It's a cloaking spell," she answers, but continues when his bewildered expression didn't ease. "It lets them disappear completely. They could be hiding in plain sight and we'd never find them."

"That's not creepy at all," Damon mutters as he slowly inches toward his bed. He looks around hesitantly as though he expects the heretics to jump out at any second.

"Give me your phone, I need to call Stefan and warn him about the girls," Caroline says, holding out her hand to Damon, to which he makes a condescending face.

"You had it last."

"Oh, you're right." She checks her pockets, trying to remember what she did with the missing phone.

"There it is," Damon says pointing at the bedside table near the door. "Is that your burner next to it?"

"Yeah," Caroline confirms with a confused tone as she walks over to pick it up. "How did they get over there?"

About a foot front the table, Caroline squeals and jerks back her hand. Damon rushes over to find it blistering like it'd been dipped in a tub of vervain.

"What the hell?"

"It's a containment spell for vampires. It's basically a magic wall of vervain," Caroline explains as she wipes her hand with Damon's bedding. Ooze from the blisters stain the white sheets, but once she wipes the vervain off, her hand starts to heal. Meanwhile, Damon slips a hand out to see how far the invisible barrier extends. After several colorful curse words, he determines the spell is only about eight feet in diameter.

"Fantastic. They obviously don't want us warning Stefan, so I'm betting they witchy-wooed the phones from you and set them there to taunt us," Damon says frowning at the stains on his perfectly white sheets. He'll never get them out. The whole set will need to be tossed. Oh, well. It's not like he can't afford it.

"Or, they just pick-pocketed them."

"Oh, you've raise a fine pair of upstanding citizens, haven't you? You and Stefan must be so proud."

"Shove it, Damon."

"So, how do we 'Prison Break' this thing?"

"It'll dissipate once we escape it," Caroline says as she tugs off her shirt, quickly followed by her shorts. Damon watches her with a raised eyebrow.

"And, we do that by…getting naked?"

"We escape by walking through the barrier," she explains as she tugs of the last of her clothes and tossing them through the barrier. "The barrier only affects vampires and the items they touch. If I toss my clothes through they won't be dripping in vervain when I'm on the other side."

"But, you will be," Damon points out.

"Well, yeah, that part's going hurt like a bitch. But, that's why I'm making a break for the shower." Damon watches Caroline's bare breast bounce a bit with her movement before she snaps her fingers in his face. "Hey, let's focus here. Now, unless you want to spend your eternity desiccating in this tiny bubble, I suggest you strip."


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter 20

Stefan's mind races as he drives the back roads of Mystic Falls. The cool air rushing through the broken windows of Elena's SUV drowns out all other night time road noise. He glances in the review mirror at the brunette vampire in the back seat and she smiles at him. This Elena is so different from _his_ Elena and Stefan still isn't sure how he feels about it. Sometimes the vampire version of his girlfriend seems happy and free in a way that he has yet to experience. When he sees this aspect of her personality, Stefan is glad for Elena. He's also proud because he knows that his future self played a major role in her happiness, perhaps he's the main reason for her carefree ways.

Stefan knew Elena was special the moment he met her and not just because she looked like Katherine. Watching her for months after their first encounter on the bridge, it didn't take long for Stefan to notice her kindness and innocent nature. She's truly the purest thing in his life. While he'd hope to have Elena in his life for as long as possible, Stefan never wanted her to become a vampire. He was afraid his curse would pollute and twist her into something dark, like Damon or Katherine. But, when the 200 year old vampire smiles him, he can still see the Elena he knows and love shine through.

Although Stefan is ashamed to admit it, even to himself, the moments between smiles and laughter leave him with an uneasiness that he can't shake. He never imagined he'd ever feel insecure about Elena, or any girl for that matter, at least with regards to his brother as competition. Even with Katherine, Stefan was favored by her over Damon and he never truly felt threatened. Make no mistake, Stefan loves Damon even when he hates him. They are brothers and will forever be linked by blood. But, the man can be such a psychopath. He never does anything for the right reasons, at least not anymore. Maybe, when they were human and actually enjoyed each other's company.

Stefan can barely remember a time when Damon was his best friend and his presence was a blessing. Now, the older Salvatore only brings pain and death with him. An eternity of misery and all that. Although Stefan has to admit, Damon's obsession with Elena seems to bring out the best in his older brother. Granted, he isn't the man that taught Stefan how to ride a horse or shoot a rifle, but Damon isn't off killing innocent people every night, either. Okay, maybe, once a week. Still, that's progress.

Despite the changes he's seen in this brother, Stefan's worst fear is that Damon's presence would affect Elena negatively, that somehow he'd taint her. So far, his Elena has proven immune to Damon's charms for the most part. In the beginning, she'd made friends with him, which amazed Stefan. When the older Salvatore brother self-destructed after discovering Katherine's betrayal, Elena's kindness inspired Stefan to hope, again. Maybe, he could have his big brother back someday.

Then, Damon killed Jeremy and earned the top spot on Elena's shit list. Stefan was pretty certain that his idiot brother had burned that bridge forever. Then, a two hundred year old vampiric version of Elena shows up that seems to have forgiven Damon all his current and future misdeeds. Stefan is convinced that it has something to do with Elena's memory loss. The compulsion obviously included memories of Damon, which makes sense if she wanted to completely forget about Stefan and their life together up until that point. Since his arrival in Mystic Falls, Damon has forced his way into their lives and Stefan doesn't foresee that changing anytime soon. Honestly, as aggravating as Damon has been recently, he doesn't want his big brother to leave. He doesn't want him to stay, either.

Stefan tries to stay calm about the the fact that, so far, all of Elena's recovered memories seem to about Damon. He reminds himself that it's okay and expected for his girlfriend to have memories of his brother, and for her to have compelled them away along with her memories of Stefan after he died. It'd just be nice if at least one of her memory strikes were about him. After two hundred years together, you'd think Elena would focus more on the the man she loves than on his brother. Once again, he wonders if Damon took advantage of the clean slate her compulsion provided. But, that was two hundred years ago. If Elena destroyed all the memories of Damon two hundred years ago and they are still friends today, then Damon would've had to maintain the friendship. He would've had to been on his best behavior for two centuries. That's an interesting theory, considering how quickly he torpedoed his relationship with present day Elena. Could Damon maintain the good guy act for that long?

"Is Damon different in the future?" Stefan yells over the road noise.

Both Elenas look up at him in surprise. Slowly, the human looks back at the vampire for an answer. Vampire Elena considers the question for a moment before answering with a nod.

"Yes, of course. We've all changed, Stefan."

"For the better?"

"Mostly."

"What do you mean? Aren't you happy?" Human Elena asks. The vampire in the back seat smiles patiently at her younger counterpart before answering.

"Life isn't perfect. We've all had our ups and downs, and, for the Salvatore clan, it's been mostly up. We're…" her smile falters as a memory flashes across her mind, but she quickly clamps down on the painful emotions it stirs and locks them away. "We're lucky in that regard."

Stefan and Elena glance at each other in the front seat with small shy smiles. _Salvatore,_ she mouths to him and squeezes his hand in hers. Suddenly, his anxieties disappear when a tiny thrill races up his spine at the thought of Elena taking his name in marriage.

A few minutes later, they arrive at the Gilbert house. As the car pulls into the drive way, Elena stares up at the familiar house. She instantly braces for the emotional turmoil about to beset her. Slowly, she takes a deep breath and steps out of the car. Stefan and his girlfriend are quick to reach the porch and head inside, but Elena takes her time. Her vampire vision allows her to stare through the darkness at the front yard and small tree next to the sidewalk.

Happy memories of summer days with Jeremy and her parents dance across her mind and a powerful warmth slowly blooms within her chest. She smiles softly at the image of a nine year old Elena wearing a white Sunday dress and screaming at Jeremy for pushing her down into the dirt. Bonnie runs past them in shorts, tagging Jeremy as 'it' and disrupting Elena's rant. Caroline stomps her foot on the bottom step of the porch with her arms crossed and demands Bonnie and Elena listen to her instructions on how to properly tie a ribbon into a bow, so that they can all wear matching hair bows to church. Elena and Jeremy's parents hurry to load car seats and supplies for four children into the SUV, but Miranda takes a moment to smile and role her eyes at her daughter's escalating hissy fit over her now dirty dress.

Elena almost giggles at the thought of her friends and family, but a small drop of sadness seeps into her warm chest a the thought of never seeing most of them again. She'd come to terms with that reality a long time ago. Jeremy and Bonnie had wonderfully full lives. And, while her parents' lives were cut tragically short, they'd want her to be happy and not let their loss destroy her. So, Elena unabashedly enjoys the reminder of her human life. It's the similarities of this life to another spent here in Mystic Falls along with Damon that causes Elena's unease. Even now, as she remembers this one Summer day as a human, she's reminded of the precious few spent in a second house built on this plot. A house Damon built for her.

She refuses to let the memory invade her mind; the memory of Damon grumbling about having to go to church as he straps in car seats. Elena tosses a bag filled with toys and snacks into the back and reminds her husband that next week will be Stefan and Caroline's turn to wrangle the munchkins for church. She glances back at the house as the Salvatore children run screaming and giggling like wild women around a much older tree in their front yard. She swells with love for her tight-nit family and the unexpected additions. In that moment, Elena is the happiest she's ever been in over 150 years of existence.

But, as happy as she is in the memory, Elena can't allow her mind to relive it. Instead, she stuffs it away behind a wall designed to keep the negative emotions at bay. Good memories like that one can't be enjoyed without dragging out the bad ones. And, it's the bad memories that will send Elena running for the cold relief that only her humanity switch can provide.

Adamantly avoiding the memories of her life in the house that Damon built her, Elena focuses on the memories of this house. At least, the ones that weren't compelled away. Of course, had she stuck to the plan, Elena would've already vamp-sped away into the night avoiding this emotional battle. But, she's determined to get her lost memories back. Maybe, the memory that Damon compelled away in her room will be the trigger that breaks the entire compulsion and all of Elena's lost memories will return. Besides, how awesome would it be to tell Damon that she broke the compulsion? He's going to be so happy with her, so grateful, so overcome with desire for her…he'll kiss her deeply in that sexy, rough way that drives her crazy…then, he'll he pin her against the wall…And, now she's lost in her imagination with a dazed look on her face.

"Elena?" Stefan suddenly whispers at her side and she jumps. He places a comforting hand on her shoulder to ease her tension, but frowns in confusion at the blush spreading across Elena's face. Stefan remembers the emotional toll of seeing his human home after a century as a vampire, so he was prepared for Elena's struggle. Her sudden increase in breathing and heart rate was expected, but the blush wasn't.

"I'm fine," she murmurs with a chagrined smile and speaks up so her counterpart can her hear from the porch. "I just haven't seen this house in a so long, I'm feeling nostalgic."

"Well, there's no rush. Jenna and Jeremy will be back from the movie soon, probably with Alaric," human Elena assures her. "I'm sure you're going to want to seem them, anyway."

Vampire Elena flashes a fake smile to hide her dread at meeting her dead family. No, that absolutely won't happen, but there's no need to say it. Instead, Elena nods her head and joins her younger doppelgänger on the porch, along with Stefan.

"I just have to figure out a way to explain everything to Jenna," human Elena says as the night air starts to hum with the magic the doppelgängers. She glances at her vampire version, just now noticing her proximity, and hurries to open the door.

"Don't worry, Jenna will handle it surprisingly well. At least, she did in my world, and she didn't find out under the best circumstances. I regret not telling her sooner," Elena explains as she enters the house behind Stefan and the other brunette.

"So, you think telling her about…" human Elena pauses mid-sentence as she struggles for the right word to describe the strange quality her life has recently developed. "…everything is a good idea?"

"Yes," the older brunette answers confidently and then points upstairs toward her room. "Now, come on we have some memories to reclaim."

Stefan glances around the hall as something tugs at his awareness. He frowns at the empty doorway leading to the kitchen and slowly inches closer. He listens for any tell tales signs that someone is hiding quietly in the kitchen or living room, but hears nothing. He finds the kitchen and living room empty when he turns the corner. Unsatisfied, Stefan performs a quick walk through, but again finds nothing. Still, something is off and it bothers him. But, an annoyed question from his girlfriend has Stefan rushing back to her side in outrage.

"Wait, whatever Damon compelled me to forget happened in my room?!"

"Sort of," vampire Elena answers with her back against the front door in effort to keep the energy building up around them from destroying her childhood home. At the moment, it's just a light buzzing, but a few steps could easily change that. "Except, the memory we're looking for hasn't happened to you, yet. Damon has only compelled you one time."

"The night you met," Stefan supplies.

"So, my Damon, I mean the Damon from this world, has _not_ compelled me to forget something that happened with him in my room?" Human Elena asks for clarification.

"Right."

"But, he will. And, the Damon from your world has," Stefan adds in a slightly angry tone. The young Elena is too preoccupied with her own worries to notice the dangerous undertone in Stefan's clenched jaw and furled brow. The more mature Elena, given her two hundreds years as Stefan's sister-in-law, easily picks up the signs of his outrage.

"Yes, but whatever it is he compelled me to forget came back to me during my transition. And, obviously I managed to forgive him for whatever it was he was hiding," she says in a soothing tone.

"And, for messing with your mind?" Human Elena points out, obviously not happy about the idea of Damon compelling any version of her. But with a resigned sigh, she turns and motions for the two vampires to follow her upstairs.

"How do you know you forgave him? Maybe, he just told you that you did," Stefan argues as they reach Elena's room.

"What, you think I would've taken Damon at his word? The man killed my brother. In the beginning, I verified every word he said with you and Caroline. And, Bonnie, of course."

"After the mind wipe, you didn't trust him?" Stefan asks, confused by the confession when Elena shakes her head emphatically.

"Well, we're here, so let's do this," human Elena murmurs, rubbing her arms nervously. Even across the room, the doppelgänger magic is brimming and she can fill the air ripple around her. She looks at Stefan, expecting to find some comfort and assurance in his green gaze, but he seems lost in his own thoughts. For a moment, she wonders if he's worried about her or Damon. Probably both. As much as he denies it, even to himself, Elena knows that Stefan loves his brother. And, Damon loves him, too. That much she knows for certain.

"You got it," vampire Elena says gleefully and vamp-speeds to her counterparts side. She latches onto the younger doppelgänger's arm before the power in the air has a chance to manifest into something dangerous.

Suddenly, Stefan is gone and Damon stands at the window watching the night sky. He's quiet and intensely focused on his inner thoughts as he places a hand to right of the window to lean against. Looking around, Elena finds the remaining room empty, but she can hear the faucet running in the bathroom through the open door. The young, human brunette turns to her vampiric counterpart for answers.

"Is this it?"

"No," vampire Elena answers as she watches Damon's back. She notices his tense muscles under his black t-shirt and the high tilt of his head, a tell-tale sign that he's listening for the faucet to stop.

"This is different. Stefan was gone all summer…"

"All summer? Why? Where was he?" Human Elena wonders if this is the summer that Stefan spent drowning in the quarry. A terrible dread like a marble of molten lead forms in her stomach and she silently promises that her Stefan will never suffer that fate.

"I was trying to find him and I talked Ric into helping. Damon wouldn't help. Or, couldn't," Elena groans as she places a hand to her head and tries to see past the fog of Ric's compulsion to no avail. "I don't know. I can't remember that part. I just know something happened tonight and Damon was there, even though he didn't want to be. I think he was scared."

"Damon was scared?" Human Elena repeats as though the idea were ludicrous. "I didn't know that was possible."

"I think he was scared for me. That's what I'm in there thinking, right now. I'm mostly disappointed because we didn't find Stefan, but I'm also mad that Damon was right. He didn't want us going out there because it was too dangerous. It was a long shot that almost got all three of us eaten by a werewolf."

The faucet in the bathroom slowly stops and, a few moments later, Elena exits with a towel draped over her shoulder. Her frustration with the day is written all over her face. The moment she sees Damon, she stops mid-step and sighs heavily.

"Seriously?"

Damon smirks at the greeting, but keeps his back to her so she can't see. It doesn't matter anyway, since the small smile is gone an instant later. As much as he'd enjoy teasing Elena, right now, he can't. She may not remember his last visit to this room, but he certainly does. Telling her how he felt was one of the most difficult things he's ever had to do, but it was also the most cathartic. Of course, it helped knowing she wouldn't remember afterward. At least, he thinks it helped. Sometimes, Damon isn't so sure.

Right now, Stefan the Saint is applying for the title of Mother Teresa. His martyrdom has now reach an all time high. So, naturally, Damon must step in and keep the idiot from ruining his life. Or, at least, Elena's life. Yeah, yeah, Stefan is out there keeping Klaus off Elena's trail, but he'll be damned if Damon is going to let his little brother pay for his mistakes. He's the one that got himself bitten by a werewolf. It should be him running around after werewolves in the name of Klaus, not Stefan. Stefan should be here with Elena. Instead, he's playing the martyr and he is damn good at it. Stefan even had Damon convinced there for a while that he'd flipped the switch and gone full ripper. Damn him.

"I was wrong."

Elena frowns at the confession and takes an uneasy step closer to the vampire. She can't remember a time when Damon admitted such a thing. Why would he ambush her in her room just to say he was wrong? And, wrong about what? Elena remembers the last time he was in her room and wonders at Jeremy's whereabouts. She can't remember if he's home or out with friends. Last time, Damon was drunk and upset. This time he doesn't seem drunk, but the man has the tolerance of a catfish. And, he seems uncharacteristically somber.

"Are you drunk?"

"No," Damon answers with a snide look over his should at her. He wishes he was drunk. Life seems easier when the edges are dulled with bourbon. But, alas, keeping Elena alive is a full time job now a days and he doesn't have time to indulge. At least, not tonight. Elena relaxes a smidgen at his response and pulls the towel from her shoulders as he turns to face her.

"I thought Stefan was gone, but I was wrong."

"You saw him out there?" Elena asks, tossing the towel onto her bed. "Damon is he okay?"

"No, he's not okay, Elena. He's an insufferable martyr that needs his ass kicked. But, he can be saved."

"What happened out there? What changed your mind?"

"I changed my mind because, even in his darkest place, my brother still can't let me die. So, I figure I owe him the same in return. I'll help you bring him back."

Elena watches Damon confess the truth of what she already knows. Of course, Stefan would never let his brother die. The same goes for Damon. As much these boys fight and declare their hatred for each other, they are still and will forever be brothers. But, she's glad to see Damon accept this truth and to have him vow to help her.

"Thank you."

"But, before I do, I need you to answer one question," Damon demands as he steps closer to the brunette. Elena nods, nervously reaching for the towel, and he continues. "What made you change your mind?"

"What do you mean?" Elena asks as she folds the damp towel in an effort to act casual. For some reason, the question made her uneasy. Damon wouldn't hinge his vow to save his brother on the answer of a meaningless question. But, this question seems so simple and innocent, too innocent.

"You were so hell-bent on staying on that mountain, and you just gave up. So, what changed your mind?"

"We were under attack, Damon," she answers with scoff.

"You had a bag full of weapons and teacher with an eternity ring. You could've kept going."

"It was too dangerous," Elena argues, throwing down the towel in frustration.

"It was too dangerous going out there to begin with. So, what was it?" Damon asks again, refusing to accept her answer.

"Why are you being like this?"

"What changed your mind, Elena?" Damon demands, stepping closer. His piercing blue gaze stabs at her soul and she can't help but reveal the truth. A truth that she didn't even realize she was hiding. It's difficult at first, almost catching in her throat, then it spills out uncontrollably.

"I didn't want to see you get hurt, okay. I was…" she pauses as she realizes what she's saying and Damon seems to finally accept the truth of her answer. This is the answer he wanted all along. "I was worried about you."

Having heard what he wanted, Damon flashes a smile and casually says his thanks before making a beeline for the door. Frustrated with the uninvited emotional probe, Elena fights back with her own question.

"Yes, I worry about you. Why do you even have to hear me say it?"

Damon stops in the doorway and turns to face her as though the question were absurd. He can see her struggle to reconcile her feelings for him and her love for Stefan. His probing managed to pull things out of their tidy little boxes within her heart and her mind is struggling to fix it. But, he doesn't want it fixed. He wants to upheaval the whole damn system.

"Because, when I drag my brother from the edge and deliver him back to you," he says in a deep, alluring voice as he steps close. He slips his hands over each side of her neck and jaw, letting his thumbs tease against her cheeks. "I want you to remember the things you felt while he was gone."

Caught off guard by his sudden touch and nearness, Elena is barely able to breath under his scrutiny. How can a girl be expected to survive under the allure of his gaze? She looks away from his clear blue eyes to the soft curve of his lips, but that only makes things worse. He shouldn't make her feel this way. She loves his brother. She loves Stefan.

Damon watches her struggle. He considers pushing her further with a kiss, but that would be too far. As tantalizing as her pouty lips and encouraging as her sudden spike in heart rate is, Damon only spends a moment holding her and stroking her cheek with his thumbs, before letting his hands slip away from the grace of God that is her face. For an instant, he slips closer, imagining what his lips against hers would feel like, before stepping away.

"Good night, Elena," he says. Then, he leaves, passing Alaric in the hallway with a nod and a bid farewell. Ric is surprised to find Damon exiting Elena's bedroom so late and she fidgets uncomfortably at his pointed glance.

"You know what you're doing there?" He asks her.

"No, I don't," she admits. After closing her bedroom door, Elena sits on her bed in a daze as a storm of emotion whirls inside.

"Where's Stefan?" The youngest doppelgänger asks and the oldest turns from the memory Elena to face her outraged counterpart. Human Elena has obviously decided to ignore Damon's alluring behavior and focus on whom their memory version should also be focus.

"He's off the wagon and running around the country with Klaus," Elena answers simply.

"What? No, you're lying. Stefan wouldn't do that, he wouldn't leave me."

"He did it to save Damon's life," the vampire explains, tucking a stray strand of short brown hair behind her ear. "I don't remember the details, but I know Stefan leaving was Damon's fault."

Human Elena crosses her arms and stares at memory Elena still sitting on her bed, now with her hands covering her face in consternation. It bothers her to great end that a future version of her is letting Damon affect her this much. He's clearly taking advantage of the fact that Stefan is gone. He's trying to manipulate, or seduce, her into caring for him. He wants her to bend in her loyalty to Stefan. But, then why didn't he kiss her?

This Elena obviously wanted him to. Anyone could see her reaction to him. But, he chose to walk away instead. Why? He didn't mind kissing her, when he thought Katherine was Elena. Did this Damon learn not to cross those lines? Does that mean her Damon has or will learn the same thing? This Damon obviously isn't shy about demanding emotional confessions from this Elena. It's like he knew what she was feeling before she did, and he wanted her to acknowledge it rather than pretend it didn't exist. Elena wonders if that's something she does in her reality. Does she pretend feelings and emotions away rather than dealing with them? No, definitely not. She'd know if she felt anything for Damon, but she doesn't. Because, she's in love with Stefan.

"Stefan, come home to me," memory Elena whispers from her bed. Slowly, the memory fades and reality returns.

Vampire Elena watches her memory version disappear, reveling in the emotions swirling around her like a fine wine. She's amazed at how confused and guilty Damon made her feel. She doesn't remember the struggle of originally falling in love with him, only the post-memory-wipe love story. It seems like falling in love with Damon a second time was so easy compared to the first. Everyone accepted and even encouraged their coupling. Stefan had already moved on, eventually setting his eyes on Caroline.

Elena remembers asking Stefan if she had betrayed him with Damon. He'd given her a simple no as an answer and smiled reassuringly. Elena doesn't remember the break up in detail, but she remembers the broken trust and their inability to rebuild what was lost that led to the break up. The next few weeks are hazy, but there's something about the cure and the sire bond. She very clearly remembers every moment with her humanity off, which makes sense, sort of. She didn't care for anything or anyone during that time, so there wouldn't have been any good memories of Damon to erase. Now, the sire bond is an entirely different mess. Elena's memories seem to be heavily influenced by the compulsion during her days sired to Damon. What she remembers is tied to blaming everything on the sire bond, but Caroline and Bonnie assured her that her feelings were never affected it. Even though everything she remembers argues against their claim, Elena eventually believed her friends.

Analyzing the tangled ball of yarn that is her memory version's emotions is easy compared to the hurricane of emotions she prefers to dodge now-a-days. Elena can easily pin point the tangled knot that is her deep affection for Damon, although a thick strand of guilt is woven around it. Her love for Stefan is still very strong and at the center of a web of loyalty and desire, but a small whisper of anger weaves through the giant ball, almost unnoticed. She's mad that Stefan left her, but won't admit it. Elena can't help but admire the complicated life she once led. At the very least, today she knows without a doubt that she loves Damon and cares for Stefan like a brother.

As reality resets, Elena finds Stefan sitting impatiently on her bed. When human Elena notices him, she sits beside him with a sigh of relief. Her smile is big and appreciative before she kisses him lovingly. He raises an eyebrow at the sudden display of affection, but wraps his arms around her.

"I missed you," she murmurs into his chest.

"That must have been some memory," Stefan gently prods, but it's hard to hide his suspicious. "What did Damon do that he didn't want you to remember?"

"We don't know, yet," vampire Elena answers. "It wasn't the right memory."

"How many memories do you have of Damon in your room?"

"Are you jealous?" Elena giggles from within Stefan's embrace. "Don't worry. We were talking about you."

"Well, what about me?" Stefan asks, his mood changing fast at the sound of his girlfriend's happy tone. He smiles as he looks into her big brown eyes.

Elena watches the two gaze soulfully at each other and smiles nostalgically. There was a time that she truly loved Stefan and it's nice revisiting that feeling, but it's nothing compared to the love she has for Damon. Her relationship with Stefan was young and naïve. It was puppy love. No, it was deeper than that, but it was based on a shallow perception of each other. Elena wanted the hero Stefan that brought her back to life after her parent's deaths. She was drawn to his strength of character and selflessness. Her first exposure to Stefan's ripper side was eye opening and horrific, but she always had faith that he'd eventually return to himself and be the man she loved. But, by then he'd shattered the trust she held in him. Perhaps, if they'd been able to forget the world and focus on rebuilding their relationship, they'd have rebuilt the trust that was destroyed. Instead, the trials of their life in Mystic Falls hammered away at the weak link in their relationship until it gave way. She doesn't remember what kept her from falling to pieces after that. There was something, or someone, that held her together. At least, until Katherine killed Jeremy. Nothing could've kept her together after that. Up until then, it must have been Damon that kept her centered, right? Otherwise, she'd remember.

As she watches the two lovers whisper sweet nothings to each other, Elena can't help but wonder how things will play out in this world. But, more importantly, how did they play out in her world? She places a hand on her counterpart's shoulder, despite the lack of energy bubbling around them. The younger doppelgänger pulls from Stefan's embrace without moving from her seat on the bed to look at the short-haired brunette.

"What are you doing?"

"Just trying to move things along."

"Why didn't it work?" Stefan asks, looking around for any surprise lightening strikes or tornadoes that might destroy the house.

"It takes a moment for the energy to rebuild," vampire Elena explains and then nods when the air starts to hum. "There it goes. I want try something this time. I think it will help speed up this process. Maybe, we can find that key memory that will break the entire compulsion."

"Okay, what do you want to do?"

The vampire slowly places her hand on either side of human Elena's face and concentrates. She gently pulls the human into her mind and the younger doppelgänger gasps at the sensation. Stefan frowns as he watches the odd scene. He isn't certain what's going on, but that nagging sensation returns. Something is wrong.

"How long before it's strong enough to…"

Suddenly, Stefan is gone and Damon is back. This time, the older Salvatore is stretched across one side of Elena's bed. He lies on top of the blankets, fully clothed with Elena's favorite teddy bear snuggled next to his side.


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter 21

"Why is he in my bed?" Elena asks as she jumps up from her seat on the bed.

"To annoy me," the older doppelgänger explains with a fond smile, before turning to the bathroom at the sounds of someone preparing for bed. "This isn't it."

"You're kidding," human Elena complains with a frustrated sigh. "Then, why this memory? What happened to trigger this one over the one we want?"

Elena can only offer her frustrated counterpart a shrug in answer. She's not certain why this memory, either. There's nothing significant about it, is there?

"Agh!" Elena stops mid-way between her bathroom and bed and groans in surprise at finding Damon lying coyly across her sheets. His arms are crossed behind his head and he's sporting a very pleased expression at having surprised the young brunette. "Damon, seriously?"

"We got Michael."

"What? How?"

"No idea. I guess Katherine came through. The plan's in motion," he says, excitement edging into his voice. And, a no small amount of smugness. "See? I told you, I had it."

Elena purses her lips and tilts her head at him with an argumentative eyebrow raise, but doesn't argue with his claim.

"Go ahead. Kick, yell, scream. I'm sure you've been planning your rant all day," Damon says in a resigned tone. Instead, Elena shakes her head and pulls at the sheets on her side of the bed.

"I'm not going to yell at you."

"Why not?" Damon asks in surprise, but doesn't move from his position on the bed. "I went behind your back. I freed Stefan. And, you know what, it backfired. He's an even bigger dick than ever. It's just now, he's a dick that's on our side."

"I'm not mad. I'm tired. I just…I want to go to bed," Elena answers in a tired voice and pointedly tugs on the sheets trapped under Damon. Of course, he completely ignores her attempts to get him out of her bed and wonders out loud.

"You know, I think Michael's weapon is a stake because he mentioned something about it."

"Well, then they must've carved it from the white oak tree before they burned it down," Elena snaps in frustration.

"So, I was right."

Fed up, Elena rolls her eyes and flips the sheets back on her side of the bed. She slips into bed, resigned to let Damon stay on his side of the bed.

"After all that, the wall led us to Michael," Damon says smugly.

"It led us to more than just that," Elena argues as she finds a comfy position under the plush blanket. She stares at the ceiling in thought. "I think it got Rebekah on our side, too."

"Really?" Damon asks, genuinely surprised. He adjusts slightly, so as to get a better view of his doppelgänger. "What'd you learn from her?"

"I learned that she's just a girl. That she lost her mom too young and…she loves blindly and recklessly, even if it consumes her," Elena explains as she glances at Damon. He watches the expression on her face closely, wondering if she realizes that she just described herself. Let's hope Elena isn't empathizing with the thousand year old blond bitch from hell. Damon has this odd suspicion that eventually he's going to have to kill Rebekah and it's going to be a lot harder if Elena's made friends with her. Although, if they become good enough friends, maybe Rebekah could play body guard on occasion. It'd be nice not to have to worry about Elena all the time, even if she has developed quiet the right hook thanks to Mystic Fall's resident vampire hunter slash history teacher.

When Elena looks at him, the familiarity of her words rings in Damon's mind and warms his heart. His brow furls and he forgets to breath for moment. Does she remember the night they met? No, that's not possible. But, the way she's looking at him…

Elena watches Damon as carefully as he watches her. Describing Rebekah in so many words reminded her of Damon. He's so passionate and reckless. It's like he's waiting for a love to consume him, even if the object of his affection doesn't return his dedication. For a moment, Elena wonders what it would be like to feel that kind of love and passion. To feel like the world only exists for one person. That no one else matters. Could she ever be that selfish? No, not when she has Jeremy to look after. That's why she needs Stefan back. He understands that it's not right to love someone that much. It's not right to put them above everyone else. People are important. Family is important.

"And, when all is said and done, there's nothing more important than the bond of family," Elena says rolling on to her side to look directly at Damon. He immediately rolls his eyes and shifts to to face her before speaking. It's rare that Elena lets him get this close, so he acts nonchalantly.

"Well, you should tell that to my brother."

Elena snickers at the remark before slowly regaining her solemn expression. As she speaks, she reaches to turn off her bedside lamp and returns to face Damon in the dark. "I'm not mad at you for letting him out, Damon. I think that you're going to be the one to save him from himself. It won't be because he loves me. It'll be because he loves you."

Damon watches Elena whisper the truth to him in the dark and he can't help but hope that she's right. He wants to save his brother. He hates what Stefan goes through after each ripper binge. So far, this one's been fairly tame compared to ones in the past. 1912 is a great example of how bad he can get. But, if Damon can get Stefan back on track, maybe he can teach his little brother some control. Of course, the moment Saint Stefan is back, Damon's time with Elena will disappear. He'll be regulated back to body guard or worse, brother-in-law. Then, Elena does something surprising.

"Can I tell you the rest tomorrow," she whispers. When he murmurs an agreement, Elena closes her eyes and quickly falls asleep. With Damon still in her bed. He tucks his face in tighter to the pillow in effort to garner a better view of Sleeping Beauty's face, but, otherwise, he dares not move for fear that she'll wake up and kick him out. How sad is he? When did he become so pathetic that he's perfectly happy to lie in Elena's bed and watch her sleep? If she were anyone else, Damon wouldn't hesitate to touch and caress. Basically, show her the time of her life. He'd make her forget all about his little brother.

But, this isn't just anyone. It's Elena. And, frankly, he's terrified to do anything else. Keeping her safe is on him and only him. He has to protect her from Stefan, Klaus, Rebekah, and now Michael. When it comes to strength, he's outmatched by everyone on the board, so he has to be sneakier than all of them. To do that, he needs Elena to trust him and not fight against him when it comes to the hard decisions. He needs her to be on his side completely. That means he can't risk pissing her off with another failed attempt to woo her. But, being her friend is becoming increasingly difficult. Sometimes, she is just too damn irresistible. Like, right now.

Elena sighs gently into her pillow. She's still obviously not quiet asleep, but right on the edge. She shifts to get comfortable and ends up snuggled against his chest. Damon holds his arm up in the air so that it's not in her way, but then he's not sure what to do with it. She breathes deeply with her eyes still closed as though enjoying his smell and he smirks at her. He keeps his hand in the air like a big dork, but doesn't seem to mind.

"It's wrong of you to be that _friendly_ with Damon," Human Elena growls at her vampiric counterpart as she glares at the couple cuddling on her bed. "You're just leading him on, and you'll end up hurting him."

"I wasn't trying to hurt him," Elena argues, but a spear of regret stabs at her heart. Something about her counterpart's words rings true. She knows how this love story ends, but maybe the journey wasn't as smooth as the sequel.

"Stefan…" Memory Elena murmurs sleepily and her two counterparts stop suddenly and face her. Damon's expression turns sour and he drops his hand to place it gently on her back. With the grace that only a vampire his age could muster, Damon slips away from Elena as she dances between dream and reality.

"You did hurt him, didn't you?" The younger doppelgänger asks her older version. The uncertainty in vampire Elena's glance confirms her suspicions, and Elena feels a sudden burst of anger toward her future self. How could she treat Damon that way? How could she give him hope and snatch it away like that? Damon is an asshole at times, yes, but he doesn't deserve to be toyed with. Elena has always tried to be straight with Damon to avoid this very situation. How could any version of her think this is okay?

Damon stands next to the open window to watch memory Elena for a moment with an expression of harsh resignation and a sour taste in his mouth. Just as he turns to leave, another soft breath escapes from Elena's lips, and it sends a shiver of satisfaction down his spine that releases his trademark smirk.

"Damon…"

The memory fades as Damon silently climbs out of the bedroom window and both Elenas look at each. The human is still obviously very unhappy with the turn of events, but the vampire is excited to see her love story play out. She knows at this point, Stefan has broken up with her, but she's still in love with him. Her feelings for Damon are obviously growing, but she's still very confused. The fact that Damon isn't actively trying to seduce her, somehow makes Elena love him more, but she's not sure why. He obviously loves her and desperately wants her to love him back, but he's not acting on his desires. He's just doing what needs to be done. He's keeping her safe and trying to save his brother at the same time. But, that's a tall order considering how dangerous Mystic Falls is at the moment. Damon and Elena have very few people they can trust at this point. And, the younger Elena's complaint regarding Damon's heart is a valid one. Damon is trusting her with his heart, does she let him down somehow?

"What's going on? Where are we?" The long haired brunette asks, interrupting Elena's thoughts. She looks around to find that the faded memory did not return them to reality.

"It's another memory."

"How? This hasn't happen before. Why are we back to reality?"

It's because I pulled you into my mind before the memory strike," vampire Elena offers. "This what I was hoping for. Your presence is weakening the compulsion and the power from the strike is able to break through multiple memory barriers. I think. Maybe. I don't know."

"Okay, I'm going to pretend like that makes sense," Elena responds with a shrug. "So, why this memory? And, the other?"

"I don't know," the vampire whines, throwing her hands into the air in exasperation. "Maybe, because they both have beds in the memory?"

"That's ridiculous, but whatever. This is Stefan's room. When is this? And, who is that?" The human asks, looking around. She cringes at the dead, blonde vampire lying face down on Stefan's floor. She's dressed in a red prom dress at memory Elena's feet.

"This is right after that last memory. A day or two maybe. That's Rebekah," Elena explains, pointing to the blonde on the floor, then looks at memory Elena.

The young human is notably rattled and shivers uncontrollably. With a painful groan, she covers her mouth with her hands. Tears well up in her eyes, but she squeezes her eyes shut and shakes her head stubbornly.

"Stop it. You are stronger than this," Elena says to herself as she wipes away the tears. She drops her hands with a sigh that helps to calm her nerves and re-center herself.

"Damon!" She calls out, knowing he'll come. Sure enough, a few moments later Damon strolls through the open door to Stefan's room with an annoyed expression.

"You know, I'm only trying to prepare for the Klausageddon here," he stops mid-step when he sees Rebekah's desiccated body lying on the the floor. "Well, that's one less item on my to-do list."

He watches Elena sit on Stefan's bed with an overly apologetic expression. He shrugs and grabs a blanket from the closet. A moment later, he kneels next to Rebekah with the blanket covering her prone form.

"In the back. Harsh."

"It had to be done," Elena argues with a deep sigh, waving her hands as a defense to her own guilt. "Rebekah was never going to be completely on our side."

"Hey, I'm not judging you. It's very…Katherine of you."

"Not the way to make me feel better about myself, Damon."

"It was a compliment," he argues and then grimaces in acknowledgment. "Sort of."

"Stefan's right. Someone's going to let their humanity get in the way and screw this whole thing up. And, it's probably going to be me," Elena complains and Damon can see her overwhelming anxiety.

"Elena," he says, standing to sit next to her on the bed. "You just daggered somebody. You're going to be fine."

"Yeah, but I feel bad about it," she argues. "I care too much. That's the problem, Damon. I'm the weak link."

"If it makes you feel any better, she's not really dead."

Elena ignores him as she considers the plan for tonight. They are so close to getting rid of Klaus, to freeing Stefan. What if she screws it all up? What if she's the reason Klaus wins and keeps Stefan on his leash? What if she's the reason Damon loses his brother? Could he ever forgive her for that kind of mistake? Could she forgive herself? What if things go really wrong and someone is killed? What if Stefan dies? Or, Damon? The thought of losing either Salvatore in such a permanent fashion terrifies Elena even more. So, much rides on the success of this plan. So, much rides on Mikael and trusting that he won't betray them.

"Do you trust him? Mikael?" She asks, not sure what answer would frighten her more.

"Nope," Damon answers with such certainty that Elena's surprise by it.

"What about Stefan?"

"No." Again, he answers quickly. "Not as long as he's under Klaus' control."

"Then, we need a better plan," Elena announces. Their current plan hinges on Mikael and Stefan. If they can't be trusted, how can they possibly expect a successful outcome?

"I know what to do," Damon says calmly and looks at Elena with a shrug. "You're just not going to like it."

"Why not?"

"Because, when this all goes down, I don't want you having any part of it."

"What does that mean?" Elena asks, frowning at his cryptic words.

Damon watches Elena for moment as she waits patiently for his response. When did she grow this strong? When did Elena grow tough enough to fight her trusting nature so as to do what needs to be done? To stab an Original in the back rather than trust her to keep her word? It was just a few months ago that she was ready to trust Elijah with her life. Today, she's conspiring against an Original hybrid and his Jerry Springer inspired family. Is it all to save Stefan? Or, is she worried about Damon, too? It doesn't matter. Damon has to save Stefan, kill Klaus, and keep Elena safe. Everything in between is filler. But, will she do what he asks? Can she sit on the side lines, while Damon saves the day? She's had no problem trusting Stefan to play the hero when necessary. But, Damon doesn't have a hero hair-do. He isn't Stefan.

"Do you trust me?" He asks, looking into her brown, doe eyes.

"Yes," she answers so quickly and confidently that Damon can't stop the warmth in his chest nor the smile on his lips.

"Then, you have nothing to worry about."

Damon's confident smirk sends a flutter through Elena's stomach, and suddenly a different kind of anxiety blossoms. She tucks a stray hair behind her ear nervously and looks away from his intense stare.

"Can you be more specific?"

"He means me," Katherine says from the door way and Elena jumps from to her feet in surprise. "Oh, did I interrupt? I know Stefan isn't much fun in his current state, but you haven't forgotten about him already, have you?"

Elena frowns at her doppelgänger and crosses her arms over her chest defensively. "What are doing her, Katherine?"

"I came because Damon invited me. Something about saving Stefan and killing Klaus," she croons as she slinks closer to the older Salvatore brother and slips her arms over his shoulders. "Last I heard, you two were fighting. I see you made up. What a shame."

Damon rolls his eyes in annoyance at Katherine's antics. Why does she insist on antagonizing him every time she sees him? How many times does he have to make it clear that he's over her? Then, Damon catches the angry glare that Elena is throwing her doppelgänger and he puts two and two together. Katherine is goading Elena, not him.

"You invited her here? Like we don't have enough problems?" Elena argues without looking at him. She can't take her eyes off the evil slut kneeling on the bed at Damon's back and slowly sliding her hands over his arms. And, he's just letting her.

"Hey, doppelgänger hijinks keep you of the line of fire," Damon explains, ignoring Katherine's touch. He needs Katherine to play along with the plan and pissing her off won't help his case. He's more concerned with the sudden backlash from Elena. One minute she trusts him, and the next, she doesn't. Choose a lane already.

Damon notices when Elena's eyes track the delicate hands moving up his arms and to his shoulders. He frowns at her obvious distaste for the five-hundred-year-old vampire. Doesn't she know Katherine is just trying to get to her? Katherine is like a toddler in that responding to her bad behavior just encourages it. Although, Damon can't help but take a small amount of pleasure in Elena's obvious display of jealousy. For him. But, alas, all good things must come to an end. So, when Katherine's hands attempt to move South down his chest, he snatches them roughly and pushes her away.

"So, I'm just here to play decoy? How original," Katherine complains as she stretches seductively across Stefan's bed.

"It's the only useful talent you have, Katherine."

"You're probably right," she concedes with a pout before smiling devilishly from under long eyelashes. "If I remember correctly, _your_ most admirable talent is restricted to the bedroom. Wouldn't you agree, Elena?"

"You do see the dead Original on the floor, right?" Elena growls. Katherine raises an eyebrow and leans over enough to eye the dead body shaped blanket on the floor.

"Is that Rebekah?"

"Yep," Damon answers, proudly motioning to Elena. "So, let's not piss off Miss Van Helsing over here."

"Fine. I get it. Sex with Damon is off limits," Katherine concedes, raising her hands defensively as she stands from the bed. "How about Stefan? He's delicious, isn't he? Tell me which one do you think is better. I, myself, had a hard time choosing the better lover."

"Alright, that's enough," Damon growls and snatches Katherine's arm roughly. He tugs her toward the door as she giggles maniacally. Elena glowers at the insinuation and refuses to let it go.

"I'm not you, Katherine. I haven't slept with Damon. I wouldn't hurt him like that."

Damon ignores Elena's proclamation with a clenched jaw. The meaning behind her words is nothing new to him. He knows that Elena's heart belongs to Stefan. It will always be Stefan. But, lately…it just seemed like 'always' may not be always. Of course, that was wishful thinking and Damon admonishes himself for indulging. He has to stay focused on the task at hand.

Katherine, on the other hand, smiles wickedly at Elena's response. She looks back over her shoulder at the human doppelgänger with a wink.

"Yet."

Elena growls in frustration at the empty doorway and plops down face up on to the bed. Vampire Elena watches her memory versions stare at the ceiling and fume. She remembers the anger burning through her at the thought of that evil slut touching Damon. Although, at the time, she attributed her anger to Katherine's presence in general. Even now, memory Elena worries that Katherine could send Stefan into a deeper hole of depravity. It suddenly occurs to Elena, that she never once considered the possibility that Katherine could unhinge Damon, again. Which is odd, considering her history of doing just that.

"So, wait, now you're working with Katherine, too? You said she killed Jeremy," human Elena says, pacing across the room.

"She did, or does…it hasn't happened, yet."

"But, she's still Katherine. Why were her and Damon so…friendly. Did they make up or something? Are they together? She accused you of sleeping with him, but you…I…wouldn't do that."

"I didn't want to hurt him," the vampire agrees.

"You didn't let her though, right? Katherine, I mean. She's done it before. Twirled him around her little finger, just to mess with him and make him lash out. He'll hurt people," human Elena says, a deep concern emanating from her pursed lips and wide eyes.

Vampire Elena watches her counterpart worry more for everyone around Damon, rather than for the man himself. She glances at memory Elena lying on the bed, remembering the concern for Damon she's experiencing.

"This is so weird," she complains.

"You're telling me," human Elan agrees, flipping her hands in the air dramatically. "Why are we even here in this memory? What triggered it instead of the one we wanted? At his point, I'm not sure I care about the other memory. I just want you to tell me how to stop Klaus from taking Stefan and we can avoid all this."

"No," vampire Elena says, then clarifies when the other doppelgänger stops pacing to glare at her. "I mean, yes. I'll tell you whatever you want about Klaus and Stefan, and that whole debacle. But, that's not the weird part."

"What do you mean? Nothing about this is normal."

"I know, but I meant you two," Elena tries to explain, pointing to her other two versions. "I get the differences between you and I. There are two hundred years of life experiences between us. There are bound to be some differences. But, you two are like a less than a year apart. How are you this different?"

"How are we different?" The human asks, intrigued by the observation. She steps closer to the memory Elena to watch her suspiciously. They certainly don't look different.

"I know what she's thinking and feeling, right now. I remember experiencing it because I was her. I laid on that bed and worried that Katherine would mess with Stefan, that she would betray us. I worried that Mikael would betray us. I worried that everything would go wrong and people would die. That Stefan or Damon would die. I worried about my friends and Jeremy getting caught as collateral damage. I worried about everyone getting hurt or betraying us. I worried that evenStefan would betray us, but it never once occurred to me that Damon would betray us. Or, he would let Katherine affect him like she did before."

"And, it's the first thing I jumped to," human Elena observes.

"Exactly."

"You meant it when you said that you trusted him, didn't you?" Human Elena asks, contemplating the weight of her declaration.

"Yes."

"More than Stefan?"

"Given Stefan's current off the rail status, I'd say yes," Elena answers with a nervous chuckle. She's trying to avoid lying to her counterpart, but she's getting awfully close to the true nature of her relationship with Damon.

"But, you save him, right? You get him back on the wagon like we did before?"

"Yeah, I mean, this time was different. It was harder. But, yeah, we save him."

"So, after you save him, and he's the Stefan that we both love, again," the younger Elena begins, but pauses mid-sentence. She suddenly feels anxious about putting to words this question. It feels like the single block holding up a precarious Jenga tower. No matter how gently she tugs on this block, or asks her question, Elena knows something is going to crumble. Something that she's adamantly been ignoring, but can't admit it. So, she hesitates. She hesitates long enough for the vampire to recognize her plight and the concern weighing on her.

"Don't worry, we eventually rebuild that trust," vampire Elena says, trying to reassure her doppelgänger. The human nods with a sigh of relief.

"Good. I mean, of course, you do. You spend the next two hundred years together. I don't know why I…" human Elena shakes her head again to disperse the worrisome thoughts. Feeling better, she turns back to her vampiric version to find her hiding a guilty expression. "What's that look?"

"What look? There's no look."

"Oh, my God. I am a bad liar. What are you not saying? Stefan and I do spend the next two hundred years together, right? I mean, what's the point of living forever if you can't spend it with the man you love?"

"But, you do. I have. I've been with the man I love. I can't imagine my life without him," Elena explains with a desperate certainty that pushes the panicking human onto her heels.

"Then, what's the problem?"

"Life's complicated," she tries to explain, but human Elena isn't having any of it. She grabs the vampire arms roughly and demands the truth.

"Show me the future. Show me my life with Stefan, with the man I love."

"I can't," the vampire argues, placing her hands over her counterpart's vice grip. If she were human, it might hurt. "I'm not controlling the memory strikes."

While the other doppelgängers argue, memory Elena finally stands from her pity party and heads for the door. After fuming and slowly calming down, she silently realized that Katherine would give them a great advantage tonight. But, still, why does she have to be such a slut? Elena just knows that the moment she walks down stairs, Katherine will be all over Stefan like she was Damon. And, that will really piss Elena off. It's just a reminder that Katherine is Stefan's ex-girlfriend. Damon's too. Like she said earlier, the evil slut's had both Salvatores. Apparently, they're both good at it. Which isn't surprising.

"What's surprising is that they both want me," she mutters before descending down the stairs.

Mid-argument, vampire Elena snaps her head to the escaping memory and catches the comment, suddenly remembering the feelings of inadequacy. She never really understood why both the Salvatore brothers loved her so much. She's nothing special, except the doppelgänger thing, of course. Both Damon and Stefan had spent a century with other women, but somehow they wanted her. It didn't make sense, and at times, it bothered Elena. In fact, with Damon, there was a point where she was truly worried.

"Figure it out. I don't want any more of these high school memories," human Elena demands, pulling her counterpart back to the argument at hand. "I want to see the real future. Past college and everything."

Vampire Elena shakes her head, trying to explain her lack of control regarding the memories, but she stops when the world around them changes. Stefan's room melts away to reveal a small nursery decorated in pink and purple flowers. Vampire Elena glances around and immediately recognizes the familiar room along with the memory. It takes her human version a moment to catch up.

"This is Bonnie's room. In her house. Why is it a nursery? Is a memory from when we were babies? How is that possible?"

"No, this isn't…Some thing is wrong," Elena says in a panicked voice. "This isn't one of my lost memories."

"What do you mean? When is this?"

"It's after college. Bonnie's having a baby. Caroline just got married. And, I…graduated college."

"This is the future. This what I wanted to see!" Human Elena smiles with excitement. "This is my life with Stefan."


	22. Chapter 22

Chapter 22

Vampire Elena pales as she realizes the predicament she's in. Damon nor Stefan is in this memory, but the conversation is all about them. There's no way her younger doppelgänger won't pick up on the obvious. She'll realize that Stefan isn't the forever love she's expecting. In fact, he's a newly wed a this point. Elena shuts her eyes and concentrates on changing the memory. It's her mind, she should be able to control what they see. That's how this whole vampire-mind-ability works. She focuses really hard on creating an image, memory, whatever, and it happens. Except, this time it doesn't. Nothing changes.

"Oh, no," she whispers. "I'm not in control."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, I didn't summon this memory and I can't change it or reroute us."

"Why would you want to? I can find out everything I need to stop Klaus, to protect Stefan and everyone else I…we…love," human Elena argues with a determined tone.

"Except, I don't want you, or anyone, having free reign in my mind. How would you like it if all your secrets and private thoughts were lain bare or the world to see?"

"It's not the world. It's just me," the younger brunette says gently. "You know, a younger version of you."

The unsettling sensation of dripping oil pools in Elena's stomach at her counterpart's words. The idea of younger, more naïve version of herself learning about every mistake Elena's ever made in the last two hundred years is not appealing in the least. But, there isn't anything she can do about it, right now. When she finds a way out of this memory mess, she certainly won't let the human in her mind, again.

"Bonnie, it's beautiful!" Elena exclaims as she follows one of her best friends into the nursery. She runs her hands over the white crib with a bright smile that almost hides her envy. Bonnie grins at the forever-eighteen vampire and pretends not to notice the heartache Elena desperately tries to hide. When announcing her pregnancy to her two closest friends, Bonnie knew it would garner complicated responses from both of the immortals.

Not surprisingly, Caroline was incensed about Bonnie's secret relationship with a particular blond quarterback, but she quickly forgave her best friend when she realized there would be a beautiful mocha-latte baby arriving in a few months. The blonde insisted on throwing a party to announce the big news to all of Mystic Falls. It quickly turned into one of the biggest parties of the decade. During which, Caroline somehow won a bet with Damon that earned her every asset he owned.

Elena responded as expected, with surprise and barely veiled jealously. Of course, she tried desperately to hide it. Elena was happy for Bonnie and really wanted to be a good friend. She knew it wasn't Bonnie's fault that Elena would never have her own child. Vampire's can't bare offspring, but they can certainly dote on their loved ones' children as Elena does with Ric's kids, Helen and Charlie. In fact, Bonnie had a plan to make sure Elena always feels connected to the Bennet child.

"Thanks. Matt was a big help assembling everything. But, the nursery isn't the only reason I wanted you to come by," Bonnie says, unconsciously placing a protective hand on her overly protruding baby bump.

"Is everything okay? Do you need another exam?" Elena asks, immediately rushing to her friend's side.

"No, no I'm fine. I promise. I just wanted to ask you a favor."

"Oh, yeah, of course. Anything. You know that."

Bonnie smiles with excitement and love for one of her closest friends. She grabs Elena's hand and places in on her belly. Bonnie watches the vampire's concern disappear and a genuine smile grow big across her face as she listens to strong heart beat of the unborn Bennett.

"Will you be my daughter's God Mother?"

Elena's eyes rock from the large belly to Bonnie's green gaze and she gasps in surprise. Tears fill her brown eyes as she covers her face and laughs.

"Oh, my God, yes!" Elena squeals from behind her hands and Bonnie grabs her arms with her own brand of tearful laughter. Together they giggle and cry in joy at the wonderful future ahead of them. After a few moments and several hugs, Elena wipes away her tears enough to speak.

"Bonnie, I'm so honored that you'd ask me. Thank you."

"It was an easy decision. Matt and I both know you'll love her like your own and we want you to feel connected to our little family. But, we need you to tell Damon that we've asked Tyler to be her God Father."

Elena scoffs at Bonnie's serious tone regarding Damon. "I think he'll understand. Especially, since he's the only one of us that knows her name."

"I didn't tell him! He guessed it, sort of. Actually, it was his idea." She argues in an innocent tone as she motions to the big pink letters nailed to the wall, VDB. " And, when he saw the initials, he figured it out. He hasn't told anyone has he?"

"No," Elena growls in frustration. "Not even me! And, I have tried to convince him to spill. I've done things, Bonnie. Things I'm not proud of."

"Oh, OK, no need to go any further," she says raising her hands in defeat before placing them on her big belly. She presses into one side with a grimace and Elena frowns.

"Come one, let me do another exam," she demands , pulling Bonnie into another bedroom.

"What? No, I'm fine, really. Besides, there are no stirrups here."

"Not that kind of exam. Although, have I told you how much I appreciate the timing of your pregnancy? It was perfect for my GYN-ie rotation," Elena chuckles dryly.

"Me, too. Do you know how much money you saved me? The price of sonograms today are outrageous."

"Sit," Elena commands, pointing to the big bed in Bonnie's bedroom. Bonnie had avoided moving into her Dad's room for years. But, when it came time to build the nursery, she knew it was time. And, according to Damon, eight years was long enough. Time to rip the band-aid off.

Elena grabs her bag from the hall way and slings it onto the bed next to Bonnie, who eyes it strangely. "Do you just carry that every where, now?"

"Whenever I 'm visiting my pregnant friends, I do."

"How many pregnant friends do you have, Elena?" Bonnie asks with a teasing smile.

"You'd be surprised," she mutters sourly. Bonnie frowns at the response and places a hand on her friend's shoulder.

"Elena…"

"No, Bonnie. I'm fine," she says, pulling away.

"But, you're obviously, not. We've spent the last six months avoiding the elephant in the room, but I think that was a mistake. We should talk about this."

"What? Oh, no," Elena says with a confused expression that twist into mild horror. "It's not what you think."

"Really?" Bonnie asks sarcastically, rubbing her tummy unconsciously. Elena chuckles at the odd sight of her best friend. Over the past few years, she's watched her friends and family grow up. Ric got married and has kids with another on the way. Bonnie is having a baby. Jeremy is in a semi-stable relationship with one of Jo's cousins, which isn't as weird as it sounds. Even, Caroline and Stefan have moved on with the biggest wedding Mystic Falls has ever seen.

"Have you heard from Caroline at all?" She asks Bonnie, who immediately rolls her eyes. Elena smiles at the witch as she slips the blood pressure cuff on to Bonnie's arm.

"Yeah, she called yesterday. Apparently, now they're in Australia, sleeping in something called a yurt. I think their moving on to Sydney soon."

"How is it that their two week honey moon is on it's third month?"

"Because, Caroline gets what Caroline wants," Bonnie answers and both girls giggle as Elena pulls the pressure cuff off and tosses it aside.

"It amazes me how fast their relationship came together. It's like one day they were best friends and the next, they're vowing to love each other for eternity," Elena says in a gentle, whimsical tone as she presses a stethoscope to Bonnie's chest. The witch notices her odd expression and frowns.

"Is that what's bothering you? Are you jealous?"

Elena tugs the stethoscope from her ears and sighs heavily. She sits next to Bonnie on the bed and looks at her gravely. "I think, so."

"What?!" Bonnie yells jumping up from the bed and glaring at Elena. "When did this happen? What does this mean? Have you told Stefan? Or, Damon? Or, Caroline? Oh, my God, you can't tell Caroline. She'll kill you."

"Bonnie, calm down. This isn't good for the baby."

"Good for the baby? This isn't good for anyone. Especially, me."

"I think you misunder…You? What does this have to do with you?" Elena asks as she stands from the bed with an amused expression and places her hands on her hips.

"Who do you think Damon's going to come running to? Me! Every time you two have a fight…hell, every time he has a fight with anyone, he shows up on my doorstep with a bottle of bourbon and the urge to kill something. I'm practically his sponsor for homicide addiction."

"Well, with Ric in Portland and Enzo's tendency to encourage his homicidal urges, you're the best person to keep him on track."

Bonnie rolls her eyes and glares at Elena. "You're his best friend, Bonnie. Whether he admits it or not."

"I know. That's why you can't go stirring up long dead…"

"I'm not stirring up anything. I love my boyfriend and only him."

"You said you were jealous…"

"I'm jealous of the fact that my boyfriend is still only my boyfriend. An eternal boyfriend, yes. But, still just a boyfriend."

"Oh," Bonnie murmurs in realization. "You're jealous that Caroline got married before you, not of…Oh, thank God."

"Thanks," Elena says with a sarcastic eye roll. "It's just frustrating because everyone is moving forward except us. We've been together the longest of all our couple friends and family. Yet, we've been in the same place for six years. Since we moved in together, nothing has changed. And, as much as I love Caroline, it feels like she's rubbing in her newlywed status a bit too much."

"You mean, how every time she calls, it's about how her and her new _husband_ did this. And, her _husband_ did that, and her _husband_ saved a puppy, or whatever."

"Yes! What is that about? It's like he no longer has a name. It's just _husband_. And, here I am with just a boyfriend. I mean, I've accept the fact that I'll never get to call him _the father of my children_ , but I shouldn't have to give up _husband_ , too. Hell, I'd accept _fiancée_ at this point."

"Have you spoke to him about this?" Bonnie asks, crossing her arms with a serious expression.

"I've tried, Bonnie. He just keeps changing the subject and avoiding the conversation all together," Elena explains as she sits next to her on the bed. She bites her trembling lips as tears well in her big, brown eyes. "I'm worried that he doesn't want me anymore."

"What?!" Bonnie exclaims and grabs her friend's hands in hers. "How can you think that?"

"He's been with dozens of women before me. What if he's bored and doesn't know how to tell me? What if he doesn't want forever anymore? Bonnie, what am I going to do? I can't imagine my life without him," Elena says through sobs as she cries into Bonnie's arms, which proves very uncomfortable for the witch given her very pregnant status.

"Elena, I need you to calm down and get off me," she squeaks.

"Oh, I'm so sorry," Elena says, jumping up and wiping her face on her sleeves. Bonnie climbs to her feet and grabs a box of tissue from the nearby bathroom for her friend. While Elena attempts to damn the never ending stream of tears, Bonnie waddles over to her dresser and pulls out a small velvet box.

"Look, I'm breaking a promise here, so I need you stay calm," Bonnie says quietly as she turns around to show Elena. The vampire pauses mid-sniffle at the sight of the box.

"Oh, my God, Bonnie. Did Matt finally pop the question?"

"No," Bonnie scoffs. "Matt's asked me a dozen times to marry him. I'm the one that keeps saying no."

"What? Why?"

"Because, if I get married, I want it be real, not a product of an unplanned pregnancy. Don't get me wrong, I love Matt. I just need to be sure that he loves me and not the idea of the perfect family."

"Oh, that's beautiful," Elena swoons with a tearful smile. "But, I don't think he's delusional enough to think life with you would be normal. You're a witch, who's best friends are vampires. Beside, won't this little girl be a witch, too?"

"We aren't here to talk about me and my problems, Elena. We're here to talk about yours," Bonnie interrupts, jiggling the ring box in her hand.

"You mean…"

"Yeah," Bonnie says with a teasing smile. "Your _boyfriend_ gave me this. A year ago, in fact."

"A year ago? Why so long? And, why did he give it you?"

"He didn't want to give you a regular wedding ring. He wanted something special. Something that would give you the normal life you've always wanted. At least, as normal as he could make it."

"What are you talking about?"

"He asked me to spell the rings. Kind of like how Emily made several devices for John Gilbert back in the day. That's why I've had them so long. I've been trying to figure out how to make the spell work. I mean, this isn't even the original set of rings he gave me. I've destroyed at least a half a dozen trying to figure this out. And, it wasn't until about two weeks ago that I did. Oddly enough, I think the baby's power helped me. So, now they work," Bonnie explains, handing the box to Elena.

"What do they do?" Elena asks as she cautiously opens the box. Leave it to Damon to make something as simple as a proposal a complicated mess. As sweet as he is to try to make her happy with some grand gesture, Elena just wants _him_ forever. And, a simple diamond ring would do the trick.

But, that's not what Elena finds in the box. Instead, there are two band rings with deep engravings of gibberish all around them. Pulling the female ring out, she inspects it closely. The band seems to have separate parts that spin around as though setting a timer.

"They're kind of like spinner rings," Bonnie offers with a coy smile.

"Right," Elena agrees calmly and stares at Bonnie for more. Finally, the witch can't contain her excitement any more and spills.

"They're glamour rings! The first of their kind."

"Congratulations, Bonnie. What's a glamour ring?"

"When you wear this ring, it will change how others see you depending on how you set it," Bonnie explains excitedly.

"Set it? Like the timer, spinner, thing? So, I can be blonde if I want?"

"Yes and no. You use the spinner to set your glamour age. So, if you set the spinner to thirty, then everyone that looks at you will see a thirty year old Elena. Better yet, if you activate the progression setting, it will continue aging you in real time."

"So, I could potentially grow old?" Elena asks with a desperate hope that fills Bonnie's heart with joy.

"At least, to the outside world. You won't have to move every few years anymore. You can stay in Mystic Falls for as long as you like."

"Oh, my God, Bonnie. Thank you!" Elena exclaims as she pulls Bonnie into a bear hug.

"Thank your _boyfriend_ ," Bonnie says in a teasing tone when they finally pull a part. "It was his idea. He loves you more than anything, Elena. Obviously, he's an idiot and is taking this surprise proposal thing too far. But, never doubt that he loves you. And, I honestly believe that eventually, he'll give you everything you've ever wanted in life."

"I can't believe I ever doubted him," Elena whispers, placing her ring back into the box next to Damon's. Tears well in eyes, again. The implication of having two rings in the back makes Elena's heart swell. Damon wants to grow old with her. They may never have children together, but because of these rings, they'll get to grow up with the rest of their weird family. In that moment, Elena couldn't imagine loving Damon more. But, they still have an eternity together and he keeps surprising her.

"That's so beautiful," human Elena whispers to her counterpart. "I can't believe Stefan thought of something like that."

Vampire Elena frowns and glances at the young human inconspicuously. Did she really not pick up the truth? Mentally running through the conversation again, Elena realizes that neither her nor Bonnie specifically mentioned Damon as her boyfriend and Stefan as Caroline's husband.

 _Well, that was lucky,_ she silently murmurs.

"What does Bonnie name her baby?" Human Elena asks, watching Bonnie return to the bed and memory Elena finishing her physical exam.

"Victoria Donovan Bennett," vampire Elena answers as she steps closer to the rings now sitting openly on Bonnie's dresser where memory Elena left them. At Bonnie's urging, Damon popped the question a week later and they were married within the year. Caroline was the wedding planner, of course. Ric and his family flew in, so he could be a groomsmen. Stefan was a wonderful best man, except that he let cursed champagne nearly destroy the wedding. Elena is only a little bitter about that fiasco, but remembering Damon with bleach blonde hair still puts a smile on her face. It's a shame that none of wedding photos survived the fire. Another thing for Elena regret.

"So, Matt and Bonnie? I never saw that happening. I mean, he seems pretty into Caroline, right now," human Elena says from Bonnie's side. She watches the slightly older version of Bonnie giggle at the touch of Elena's stethoscope on her belly.

"Matt broke up with her when he founds out about the vampire thing. He eventually got over it, but she'd moved on with Tyler by then," vampire Elena explains with a re-centering sigh. She's grateful for the questions. They distract her from dwelling on the mistakes of her past. It always frustrates her Elena that she can't just remember the good times, she has to relive the bad, too.

"Tyler? Really? How does he handle the whole…vampire thing?"

"Pretty good, considering he was a werewolf. Then, Klaus' first hybrid. Then, jus a werewolf, again."

"Okay, that's weird."

"Yeah, it's complicated," vampire Elena agrees with a chuckle.

"I'm glad that everyone seems to be happy in the future. Caroline is married, Bonnie's having a baby…Do they eventually get married?" Human Elena asks, turning away from the pregnant witch to ask the older vampire.

"Yeah, eventually. They have a couple more kids, too. Boys named Rudy and Max. A few generations later and the Bennett coven is one the most powerful in the world."

"That's amazing," Elena whispers with a joyous smile that's infectious. The vampire returns her grin and chuckles.

"Oh, she's kicking," Bonnie says pulling all three Elenas to her attention and grabbing her friend's hand to place against her belly. "Here, feel it."

Memory Elena grins goofily at the sensation of the small child's foot against her hand. Damon's right, it looks like an alien trying to escape. Vampire Elena laughs out loud at the thought and human Elena glances at her fond expression. She watches the older version of her giggle insanely at the memory of Bonnie's pregnancy and she can't help but wonder.

"Do you regret it?" Elena asks as the memory slowly starts to fade.

"Regret what?"

"Not being a mom?"

The question is simple and innocent. And, it utterly destroys Elena. Suddenly, memories of the munchkins running through the house while playing Princess Ninjas flood Elena's mind. Damon and Stefan would play the evil Knight that must be defeated before the game could end with a happily ever after. But, this game of memories seems to never end as other images flash across Elena's eyes. Images of bed time stories, cuddle time, temper tantrums, cheerleading tryouts, date nights, and high schools graduations stream through Elena like a string tugging at her heart. She tries to stop the overflow of emotion before it gets to the night that changed everything. The night that destroyed everything. The night the munchkins died.

"Stop," Elena cries, covering her face with her hands. She can feel human Elena run to her side in concern, but also her overbearing desire to see more of the future. Vampire Elena can't stop the flow of memories, but some how she manages to redirect stream. She diverts the images away from the devastating memories of death and loss and concentrates early years with the munchkins. When they were young and innocent. When the future was still bright and optimistic.

Human Elena watches her vampire counterpart crumble to the ground under the weight of her struggle. She doesn't understand what's causing the older doppelgänger's distress, but Elena knows it isn't good. Suddenly, the fading memory around them shifts and reassembles. As the neatly arranged room forms around them, vampire Elena seems to calm and takes a deep breath.

"Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," Elena answers as she stands and brushes away the human's concern.

"What happened?"

"I'm having trouble with you here, in my mind. This was a bad idea and I need you to leave."

"What do you mean, _trouble_?" Human Elena asks with a hint of suspicion.

"I mean I don't want you here, reliving memories I don't want to relive," the vampire snaps.

"I thought the future was bright and shiny and perfect. Why wouldn't you want to relive it?"

"Nothing is perfect. Nothing will ever be perfect. At least, not for long. And, you're stupid if you believe otherwise," vampire Elena sneers. Seeing her counterpart bulk at her argument, vampire Elena adds. "Would you want to relive the night our parents died?"

Readying to argue against her vampire self, Elena stops mid-breath at the mention of her parents. The idea of reliving the death of her parents terrifies the human. Worse is the thought that something happens in the future that can compete with the loss of her parents. Elena can think of a number of people whose death would scar her irreparably, Jeremy, Bonnie, Jenna, Matt, Caroline, Stefan, even Damon. But, she knows knows the vampires are alive two hundred years from now. She also knows Jeremy has a full life before dying of old age. Surely, that kind of natural death is easier to accept than a sudden accident or murder. It sounds like Matt and Bonnie have a full life together, too.

When considering Jenna, it occurs to Elena that neither her future self or Caroline have mentioned Jenna in the future. Well, other than the fact that Ric doesn't marry Jenna, but a witch named Jo instead. Is that because Jenna and Ric break up or does something happen to Jenna?

"Aunt Ellie!"

"Wake up, Aunt Ellie."

Elena wakes to giggles of two little girls climbing into her bed. She smiles sleepily against her pillow and snuggles deeper into the puffy blankets, covering her face. She tries not to make a sound as the girls climb on top over her and the blankets.

"Come on, wake up, sleepy head," Jo whispers into the blankets and Elena giggles. Lizzie squeals in delight when the vampire leaps forward and hugs the three year old against her chest. Jo is quick to come to her sister's rescue and jumps on to Elena's back, resulting in a tumble forward and more giggles.

"What you two doing in here?" Elena asks after several minutes of tickling and a small pillow fight.

"Breakfast! Mommy said it's done."

"Almost done," Jo corrects her sister with a nod.

"Almost," Lizzie agrees.

"Oh, well I should get dressed then, huh?" Elena says climbing out of bed and opening the suitcase at the foot of her bed. The immaculate bedroom is a testament to Caroline's ability to maintain a clean home with two three-year-olds running around. Especially with Stefan's addiction to nicknacks. Looking around the white and grey room, Elena is surprise to find several of Stefan's trophies and keepsakes displayed proudly in a manner that adds to decor rather than overwhelming or distracting from it.

"We met Mandy!"

"Yeah, she's with Uncle Damon," Lizzie says and Elena stops riffling through her suitcase to smile at the girls.

"You did?" Elena says slipping on to the bed across from the girls. "What did you think of her?"

"She's pretty, like you," Jo says, pointing up at Elena.

"Awe, thank you."

"Uncle Damon really likes her," Lizzie whispers as though it were a big secret. "He made her pancakes."

"Really?!" Elena asks with an over dramatic gasp. "Did he at least make you pancakes, too?"

Both girls nod excitedly with big smiles and quickly cover their mouths. Elena narrows her eyes suspiciously at the raven haired witches.

"Does your mom know he made you pancakes this morning?"

The twins simultaneously shake their heads with big, blue eyes staring innocently up at the vampire.

"Don't worry, I won't tell," Elena whispers with another tickle attack and the girls giggle happily. Several minutes later, Elena is dressed and the girls are twirling around like ballerinas. She listens to them chatter for few moments and wonders if the rest of her life will be filled with the same laughter.

"So, did you like Mandy?"

"She's quiet," Jo says as she continues to spin and bump into her sister.

"She's magic!" Lizzie yells loud enough for the whole house to hear. Jo stops mid-twirl, stumbling from the after affects, but manages to scowl at the loud twin.

"No, she's not."

"Yeah, huh."

"Nah, ah."

"Yes, she is. I felt it!"

"Okay, okay," Elena says pulling the two girls apart before the room catches on fire or something. You never know with witches. "Lizzie, why do you think Mandy has magic?"

"I told you! I felt it!"

"Yes, you did tell me that already, Honey. But, when did you feel it?"

"When I hugged her," Lizzie explains. "She felt like…"

"Like, what?" Jo prods impatiently and stomps her foot. She crosses her arms over her chest and glares at Lizzie. Elena almost bursts into a fit of laughter at the very Caroline-like behavior.

"Like, puppy."

"You mean she felt furry?" Elena offers, used to translating the feelings the little girls get from magical creatures. While vampires are the most common given their family structure, they've recently experienced other witches and the Original hybrid when Klaus popped by for an unexpected visit. Much to Caroline's annoyance, the girls immediately fell in love with Klaus, describing the magical feel of him as a shaggy dog.

"Or, do you mean like Uncle Klaus?"

"Yeah!" Lizzie exclaims in excitement and then stops. "Uh, almost."

Elena smiles at the little witch and nods. "You've never felt anyone like her before, have you?"

"No."

"Nope. Uncle Damon says she's special," Jo say in as serious a tone as a three-year-old can muster.

"Like us!"

"Sort of," Elena explains, crouching to the floor. Speaking to the girls on their level usually garners better results. "She's one of a kind. The last of her people. So, we have to keep her safe. Do you think you can help us do that?"

"Yep."

"No problem."

"Thank you. I hope you know how much we all love you."

"Yeah, we know," Jo says and hugs Elena tightly. The vampire squeezes the tiny girl before noticing that Lizzie didn't join in. It's rare to get a one-on-one hug with twins. One hug usually grows into a group hug. This time, Lizzie stands apart from Elena and Jo with a worried expression. She bites her lip and wrings her tiny shirt anxiously.

"What's wrong, Lizzie?"

"What if Uncle Damon likes her more than he likes us? More than he likes you?"

Elena frowns at the question. This was a new one for her. Someone should've realized the question would come up. Or, at least the feelings behind the question. Caroline and Stefan have done a great job creating a stable environment for the girls since their adoption. They made sure everyone understood the importance of consistency for children with their background of witchcraft and homicidal families. Mandy may not be a new sister for the girls, but she's certainly someone new to the family. It's a big change for everyone.

"Can I let you in on a little secret?" Elena says and the girls brim with excitement as they nod their heads vigorously. "When your Mommy and Daddy brought you two home, I was jealous. Your Uncle Damon was so excited to meet you guys and he loved to babysit. I just knew he liked you guys more than he liked me, and you know what?"

"What?" Both girls ask.

"I was right! He did like you guys better," Elena answers with a pout. Lizzie and Jo gasp and break into giggles as the vampire tickles them relentlessly. Eventually, the girls wriggled free from Elena's grasp and run out the room with squeals of delight. Elena chuckles loudly as the girls run down the hall past their father as he pretends to chase after them. When they reach the kitchen, Caroline admonishes her husband for riling them up before breakfast. A few moments later, Stefan reappears in the hall and Elena waves him over.

"Good morning," he says contently. "I hope you caught up on some sleep."

"I did. Thank you for that by the way," Elena says, leaning against the doorway and glancing at the toddler room across the hall.

"Hey, I'm pretty sure I owe you several more sleepy mornings," he offers with wink. And, it's true. Damon and Elena had helped a lot with the early days of twin babies. She's lost count of how many times, she babysat just so Stefan and Caroline could catch up on sleep. Pay back's a bitch.

Elena suddenly reaches out and pulls Stefan into a hug that catches him off guard. An instant later, he smiles into her her neck and rubs her back gently. "Are you okay, Elena?"

"Yeah," she answers between sobs. "I'm just so happy."

Stefan chuckles and Elena smiles at the rumble in his chest. With his arms around her waist, she leans back to look him in the eye, ignoring the stream of tears falling down her cheeks.

"Before I forget, Damon needs to reassure the girls. Lizzie's afraid he loves Mandy more than them."

"Well, he does," Stefan murmurs gently, but his soft tone doesn't stop Elena from sobbing harder.

"That's not the point!" She sputters before groaning in frustration and breaking away from Stefan. "Ugh, when is this going to end? I'm so tired of crying. I'm not even sad."

"This is normal, Elena," Stefan tries to reassure her as he follows her into the bedroom. "Your emotions are in overdrive because your hormones are reacting to constant presence of children. Remember, Caroline was way worse than this."

Elena laughs at the memory of her sister-in-law bursting into joyful tears at smallest provocation. Damon refused to be around her after she insisted on hugging him three times in one day. Speaking of which, where is her husband?

"Where's Damon and Mandy?"

"He took her for a spin around town," Stefan answers with a shrug as though the idea were absurd.

"He's an odd man," Elena says with a frown.

"I know," he agrees and then kisses Elena on the forehead. "Come on. Breakfast should be done by now. Although, Damon was up early with the girls, so I suspect they've already eaten."

Elena says nothing as they step into the hall and giggles echo from the kitchen. She silently wishes that her life would stay like this forever. And, for a moment, she believes it might.

Human Elena watches Stefan and memory Elena disappear as the memory fades away. She's glad to see Stefan in another memory, but like before something off about his behavior toward memory Elena. She can't quiet put her finger on it, but it's really starting to bug her. Elena turns to her vampire counterpart to find her slumped over again and grimacing in pain.

"Are you okay?"

"No, I need you out o my head. NOW!"

And, suddenly, they're back to reality.


	23. Chapter 23

Hey, guys. Thanks for sticking with me. I'm sorry it's taken me so long to update. The next chapter should come soon because I've been looking forward to writing it since I first thought of the plot point. I'm not thrilled with this chapter because I'm concerned it may be too confusing. It can be difficult maintain each Elena's perspectives and referring to them within the same scene. As always, I really appreciate your reviews and comments.

SPOILER ALERT: To ease everyone's concern, this story is as much about future Damon and Elena as it is about past Damon and Elena. Rest assured, the future version of the Salvatore brothers will eventually make it through that time portal. This story is NO WHERE NEAR finished. I just never realized how many words it would take to bring it life.

* * *

Chapter 23

Elena takes a deep breath as the world around her changes, once again. She's glad to be back in her room and to have Stefan at her side on the bed. She smiles at him, remembering the squeals of delight from the two dark haired toddlers running through the house. The small glimpse of him with Caroline's kids makes her human heart swell with affection. She can't help but wonder if Jo and Lizzie call him Uncle, too. Apparently the Uncle/Aunt title has some laxity in Caroline's family.

Elena couldn't stop the grin that overtook her lips when she heard Lizzie and Joe call her 'Aunt Ellie'. She imagines Aunt Elena was a mouthful for toddlers their age. Elena found the memory of her future self playing and conversing with the young children beautiful and up lifting. It was like seeing the white light of her happily-ever-after at the end of the dark tunnel that's been her life since the death of her parents.

She was surprised to hear the girls refer to Damon as Uncle, even more so when Klaus was mentioned. It's odd enough to envision Damon and Caroline close enough for her kids to refer to him as Uncle, never mind the evil hybrid she's heard so much about. Maybe, it has something to do with the fact that Klaus is supposed to be obsessed with Caroline. Still, wouldn't her husband have an issue it? Speaking of which, Elena still doesn't know who this mystery guy is that sweeps the new vampire off her feet.

A bigger mystery is this 'Mandy'. Jo and Lizzie seemed to like her, and, according to them, so did Damon. Stefan claimed that Damon loved Mandy more than the girls. Does that mean he finally moves on from his affection for Elena? It seems like everyone in her life believes that present-day Damon is in love with Elena, but she disagrees. Damon may care for her, but he doesn't lover her. He's too selfish to love someone. His behavior after her rejection just a few days ago is a prime example. He may earn her forgiveness and friendship in the future, but that doesn't mean he loves her. Not real love, at least. Maybe, he finds it with this Mandy woman.

Elena pictures Damon cooking pancakes, while the gorgeous woman Elena imagines Mandy must be dances around the kitchen with Jo and Lizzie. It's an odd image compared to the intoxicated, leather clad badass that she's seen covered in blood and gore.

 _No way. Damon is not a family man_ , Elena almost chuckles to herself, ignoring the twinge of excitement that idea seems to ignite. _But, apparently he's the fun uncle that makes pancakes. With Mandy._

Elena is uncomfortable with the idea of the older Salvatore settling down and changing his bad boy ways for this mysterious woman, even though the idea of Damon being less hostile and unbalanced is definitely better for everyone. Maybe, that's what he needs. Someone to remind him that he's not a monster. Someone to love him. Isn't that why he came to Mystic Falls to begin with? To save Katherine, the woman he loved for 145 years. Suddenly, Elena's reminded of the pain she watched Damon experience when he realized Katherine had lied to him for a century and a half. Granted, his pain wasn't an acceptable excuse for lashing out at Elena like he did. But, she couldn't help but wonder if she'd survive the kind of betrayal that Katherine inflicted? She tried to imagine Stefan hurting her like that, but her mind couldn't even fathom the possibility.

 _Stefan would never hurt me._

Even a hundred years from now, Stefan is caring and affectionate. Elena was glad to see future Stefan in another memory, but something about it bugged her. It was almost disappointing. She expected soul searching gazes and steamy exchanges, not innocent hugs and comforting forehead kisses. Future Elena and Stefan acted more like brother and sister than eternal lovers that couldn't keep their hands off each other long enough to sit through Ric's wedding. Where's the fireworks? Hell, how about a sparkler at this point?

 _Is this what a two hundred year old relationship looks like? Just comfortable with each other?_ Elena swallows the sour taste in her mouth at the idea of losing the spark that drivers her passion with Stefan. He's so caring and affectionate now. When does that change? They must've experienced so much together over 200 years. Maybe, the twins cause stress on their relationship. Stefan mentioned sleepless nights and paying Elena back. Maybe, Stefan and Elena will be pretty hands on with Caroline's kids and it takes a toll on their relationship. She's heard that kids could do that.

Elena never imagined kids with Stefan. It's just never been a possibility. But, if Caroline adopts, why doesn't Elena? Because she's a vampire. And, she's married to vampire. Vampires shouldn't raise children. Their lifestyles are too violent and dangerous. Look at the danger she's faced just within the first few months of meeting the Salvatore brothers. No, raising kids in this environment is wrong. Honestly, she can't believe Caroline did it. It obviously hasn't worked out well, since the twins are now homicidal witchpires. Maybe, the mass murder at the B&B yesterday could've been avoided if the girls were raised by humans, or other witches. Why didn't Caroline give the girls to Bonnie's descendants to raise?

So many questions. It seems like every new memory raises more questions than answers. With all the new information, you'd think Elena would be overwhelmed. Instead, she seems to keep circling back to this Mandy woman. She must be one hell of woman to get Damon Salvatore to change his ways. Elena frowns at that thought and looks to her vampire counterpart.

Vampire Elena sighs in relief as reality reforms and the images of her past seem to ease. She pushes against the stream of memories and emotions tied to them until they give way. She almost has them completely tucked away and hidden behind the emotional barrier her humanity switch offers, when the young, naïve human asks a simple question.

"Who's Mandy?"

Suddenly, the memory of a young, slender woman with big, red, bouncy curls and almond-shaped brown eyes breaks through the wall. An image of Mandy jumping up and down in excitement and leaping into Damon's arms as she laughs giddily fills Elena's mind and tears well unbidden. Damon had surprised the red head with a new car and Mandy was more than happy to accept the gift. At the time, Elena wasn't pleased with the situation, but Damon would've given the girl a thousand cars just to see her smile. Looking back, Elena wishes she'd destroyed the car right then and there.

"No," she whispers as she clenches her eyes shut in order to fight the onslaught of tears.

"What's wrong?" Human Elena asks, standing from her seat next to Stefan, who just now seems to notice their return to reality.

"No, stay away!" Elena jumps away from her human counterpart, lashing out with one arm in warning. She presses herself against the closed door of her bathroom as tears stream down her anguished face.

Stefan slowly climbs to his feet with a deep frown. Sweat beads on his forehead and he swallows hard to fight his sudden thirst. "What's going on?"

"I was just asking about Damon's girlfriend, Mandy…"

"Shut up! Don't say her name!"

Suddenly, vampire Elena disappears into the bathroom, slamming the door behind her. The human doppelgänger frowns at her frantic behavior. For the first time since meeting this future version, Elena finds herself worried about vampire Elena and it's an odd sensation. Yes, she's worried about the future and her friends and family. She's worried about how her life plays out, but she never worried about her vampire counterpart. The older Elena always seemed so happy and confident. Present-day Elena may not agree with every decision her future self has made, but she's never worried about her well-being. Now, she's worried. Something is obviously wrong. And, Elena wouldn't be Elena is she didn't want to help.

"Are you okay?" She calls through the bathroom door.

"I'm fine, just give me a minute," vampire Elena answers through obvious sobs.

"What's wrong with her?" Elena asks Stefan as she turns her concerned gaze on him. He shrugs and shakes his head, but meets her eyes with a knowing look.

"It's hard to maintain control sometimes. Strong emotions can be overwhelming."

Elena nods at his answer and wonders what emotions could drive this type of response from her future self. What's so special about Damon's girlfriend?

"What happened in the memory?"

Stefan's question drags Elena's attention back to him and she immediately wraps her arms around his waist in a much needed hug. Her face fits into the crook of his neck and she enjoys the warmth of his skin against hers. Usually, Stefan's body doesn't generate enough heat to feel warm compared to the furnace that is Elena, so she revels in the new experience.

"Memories. As in plural. Whatever she did with that vampire-mind-trick helped to speed things up until it backfired on her."

"What do you mean?" Stefan asks as he rubs his hands across her back comfortingly. He tries desperately to ignore the rushing sounds of Elena's heart pumping blood through her body. A drop of sweat runs down the side of his face as his head begins to ache with need.

"The first couple of memories were from the broken compulsion, but the last two weren't. They were her existing memories from after the compulsion, but she didn't mean to show them to me. In fact, she was upset that the memory strike, or whatever, made us relive them."

"Were they bad? Did Damon do something?"

"No," Elena reassures him with a tight squeeze and presses tighter into his embrace. "Damon was fine, mostly. He wasn't even in the last two memories. They were about Bonnie and Caroline's girls."

"Oh," Stefan mutters and closes his eyes. He takes a deep breath, determined to combat his sudden thirst. He must not have eaten enough during his last hunt. Or, maybe the magic from the memory strikes is affecting him. Whatever it is, he can control it. He has to. Trying to distract himself, Stefan considers Elena's words.

"Damon was in both the recovered memories? Should I be jealous?" He asks in a semi-playful tone that confuses Elena.

"What do you mean?" She asks, pulling away from Stefan to look him in the eye. That's when she notices his pale completion and clammy face. "Stefan, are you okay?"

"I'm just hungry," he assures her, but takes a seat on the bed as his vision swims. Shaking his head and taking another deep breath, he refocuses his gaze on Elena and smiles falsely. "It seems like every compelled memory is about Damon. I'm wondering when you'll get to the memories about me."

Elena places a hand on his face and frowns down at him with a look of deep concern. He stares back at her with a fake smile, trying to reassure her, but suddenly her expression twists into sadistic smile that he's only ever seen from Katherine.

"Oh, Sweetie. Haven't you figure it out, yet? They're all about Damon."

"What?" Stefan mutters in a surprised fog of confusion and shakes his head. A moment later, Elena's gentle expression and concerned tone returns.

"I said, you should go hunt. You look terrible. I can stay with her…the other me, I mean. Jenna and Jeremy should be home anytime."

"No…I…" Stefan places his hand over her soft touch across his cheek and savors the feel of her cool skin. He closes his eyes against the dry thirst in his throat and the pounding pain in his head that seems to make the room spin. "Maybe, you're right."

"Please, be careful," she whispers as she pecks him on the lips. "I'm going to check on her."

As Elena disappears into the bathroom, closing the door behind her, Stefan lies backward onto the bed. Sweat glistens from his pale skin and the room spins. He's never felt like this before and only now wonders if something is seriously wrong with him. But, he's a vampire, an immortal being that can't get sick. So, what the hell is wrong with him?

"Well, number one, you're an idiot," Damon says from the open door way of Elena's bedroom and Stefan jumps to his feet in surprise. "Number two, you brood way too much. No wonder Elena moves on to the better brother."

"Damon? What are you doing here?"

"Looking for you, brother. I wanted to see how the memory restoration was going?" Damon answers with a sly smile as he strolls into the room and glances around suggestively. "I bet Elena enjoyed reliving the memories we made here."

"What are you talking about? Elena said those memories were harmless. Nothing happened," Stefan declares, angry at his brother's insinuation. For a moment, Stefan's vampire face peeks through as the veins under his eyes darken.

"Careful, Stefan. You don't want to lose control. You'd hate for Elena to see the real you."

"She knows the real me."

"Oh, come on. This isn't you. Not the real you. Not the ripper. That monster you keep chained up deep inside. What would Elena would think of him?" Damon argues with a sadistic grin that grates on Stefan's nerves. "Maybe, we should ask the other Elena. The one from the future. The one that's known you for two hundred years."

Stefan pauses at the older Salvatore's suggestion. It suddenly occurs to him that future Elena must know about Stefan's control issues. Not the nugget of truth that his Elena learned during the Miss Mystic Falls pageant, but the whole mountain of a problem that is his ripper issues. There's no way he's gone two hundred years without it coming up at least once.

"There it is," Damon sings sarcastically as he runs a hand through Elena's items sitting on her dresser. "You've finally connected those dots. How about the big mystery Elena and Caroline are keeping tucked away from us? It's pretty obvious to anyone that doesn't live in a jungle of denial."

"What are you talking about?"

"Dig deep, Stefan. Come on. You may not want to admit it, but it's there. Way back in the corners of that guilt-ridden, sappy mind of yours is that thought that just keeps nagging at you. It's like a gnat that won't go away no matter how many times you swat at it."

"No," Stefan says, shaking his head. The room swims as he stumbles to the ground. He sits back against the foot of the bed, struggling to catch his breath. Turning to his let, Damon waits at his side with a knowing look.

"You can't deny it anymore, brother," Damon whispers in a surprisingly gentle tone that matches the sympathy in his cool blue eyes.

"It's not true," Stefan argues as his vision blurs all around Damon. "Elena loves me."

"For now," Damon nods. "But, somewhere along the way that changes. Sometime in the next two hundred years, Elena stops loving you. You can see it in her eyes and in her smile."

"The memories…they're all about you."

"They're all about me."

"But, Caroline said…"

" _Some one dies. Someone important to Elena. Important to us all, really. Instead of mourning his death like a normal person, she had Ric compel her memories away…"_

"She never said it was you, Stefan. Which, if it was, why wouldn't she just say it?" Damon asks pointedly.

"Because, it wasn't me," Stefan confesses as he looks away from his brother. Damon's right. He knew it all along, but refused to acknowledge the truth.

"Bingo."

"It was you," Stefan whispers, turning back to Damon only to find him gone. Confused and delirious, he looks around the room, but pauses mid-motion as his vision twirls into a fog. At some point, his phone rings and he pulls it out to see Caroline's name. Digging the phone out of his pocket seems to expend too much energy as he suddenly finds answering the phone too difficult. Instead, he lets it slip from his fingers as he slumps to the side. His sweat soaked face rubs against the rough carpet in Elena's bedroom, but he doesn't feel it.

Meanwhile, Elena sits on the countertop next to the bathroom sink, watching her vampire counterpart take deep breaths and wipe away her tears. The older doppelgänger rests on the edge of the tub as far from the human as the room allows.

"What's wrong with you?" She finally asks after vampire Elena calms a bit.

"Nothing, I'm fine."

"You're obviously not. If you tell me, maybe I can help."

A hallow chuckle slips from between vampire Elena's lips and she leans back as far as she can without falling into the tub. Eyeing her counterpart as a condescending parent does a naïve child, she speaks softly with a slightly jaded tone.

"There's nothing to help me with. I'm just you're average vampire trying to deal the emotional baggage that comes along with an immortal life."

"What does that mean?" Human Elena asks with a confused frown. A pit in her stomach builds at the thought of having to experience the same struggle her future version is fighting. She can't prepare for it or try to stop it if she doesn't understand it.

Vampire Elena sighs in annoyance at having to explain the basics of vampire nature, but she silently reminds herself that her younger version wouldn't be expected to know such things until she turned. Which probably won't happen at this point. She's certain to have scared off any thought of turning by now, and if not…

"As a vampire, my emotions are heightened. They're deeper and harder to control."

"Isn't that a good thing? Getting to spend two centuries with the man you love and loving him far more than you could as a human? That sounds wonderful."

"It is," vampire Elena says with an honest smile that reflects the all consuming love that burns within her for Damon. Then, her smile falters and slowly slips away as her eyes fall to the ground, unfocused. "Until it's not."

Human Elena watches the sudden change in demeanor with concern and opens her mouth to question it until she remembers Jeremy. And, Bonnie. And, Jenna. And, every other mortal that Elena grew up with. Matt, Tyler, Professor Saltzman. They're all human. Stefan, Caroline, and Damon may live forever, but the rest of Elena's loved ones won't. She imagines reliving the death of her parents over and over again, but deeper. The pain of their loss was devastating as a human. She can't imagine the experience as a vampire.

"I'm sorry," she whispers, looking down at her toes to hide her own well of tears.

Vampire Elena looks up at the soft and gentle tone of her counterpart. Remembering the confusion and struggles of her human life adjusting to the supernatural elements, she takes pity on the young doppelgänger and changes the subject.

"We still haven't found that lost memory that Damon compelled away," she says and the human looks up in surprise.

"Uh, no. I guess we haven't," she agrees, wiping away her hidden tears. "But, does it matter at this point?"

"What do you mean? I thought you wanted to make sure Damon didn't do anything inappropriate."

"I never said that he would do something like that," human Elena protests, slipping down from the counter to wash her face. "I just…"

"Don't trust him," the vampire offers.

"Yeah," Elena agrees, glancing at her counterpart in the mirror. Even splotchy from crying, vampire Elena's face depicts the mischievous expression of a smug house cat. The human remembers one of the memories from just moments ago. "But, you do. You trust him. Even though you have no idea what he compelled you to forget. You trust that it wasn't anything bad."

"Yep."

"Then, why did he compel it away? If it wasn't bad, why didn't he want me to remember it? I get the night on the road. He didn't know me. But, he knows me now. He knows that I'd be pissed to learn that he'd messed with my mind."

"It must have been something important for him to risk aggravating you, right?"

"I guess," Elena shrugs, drying her hands and face on a nearby towel. "But, what could possibly be that important? You know him better than I do."

"Actually, I don't think I do," vampire Elena murmurs, causing the human to turn around with a confused expression. "I don't remember this Damon. At least, what I remember is very different from what actually happened. I basically met my Damon after the compulsion. And, he's different than your Damon. I mean, they are the same person, obviously. But, the Damon I know is more…stable…mostly."

"He can't be that different. He's still Damon."

"Absolutely. But, think about the Damon you met several months ago. The guy that terrorized Stefan, killed Vicki Donovan, and tortured Caroline. Those all actually happened, right?"

"Yep."

"I thought so. Well, does he seem like the same guy that did those things? Because, I'm pretty sure I heard something about him taking a bullet to save Sherif Forbes yesterday. Or, was that earlier today? God, I need to sleep," Elena says, finally standing to stretch. Her human counterpart doesn't quite buy her explanation and twists her mouth thoughtfully.

"You mean, the same guy that murdered my brother in cold blood just a few days ago?"

"I didn't say he was perfect, or even a nice guy for that matter. And, we've already been over this," the older doppelgänger retorts as she folds her arms over her chest and stares at her younger version.

"I know, I know. And, I get what you're saying. Even in the memories I saw, Damon seems to…I don't know…care more. But, that doesn't help me now. He's not that person from your memories, yet. I can't treat him as though he were," Elena scowls as she folders her own arms in defiance.

"Neither are you."

At that, Elena starts. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, things happen between now and then that you will carry with you for the rest of your life. At least, they happened to me. Maybe, you'll never have to experience them."

"Don't be cryptic, tell me. That's why I'm helping you with your memories, so I can learn as much as possible about the future. I want change the things that need to be change. Avoid the bad things and protect the people I love," Elena exclaims, instinctively stepping forward. The air begins to hum with power and the mirror quivers slightly.

"I'm happy to tell you everything I know, but my memory isn't reliable about some things. You know that. It's better to get answers from Caroline. Her mind is like a steel trap. But, these memory strikes are helping, right?"

"I guess. I feel like I have more questions than answers, but I know it's important to you. So, we'll keep going. Even, if they _are_ all about Damon," Elena complains with an eye roll. Vampire Elena chuckles quietly at her younger versions antics and human Elena smiles are her before growing serious, again. "It's just that…those memories of him, kind of, make me feel uncomfortable. Damon can be very flirty and…alluring sometimes. I'm worried…"

"Damon loves you," vampire Elena interrupts firmly. "But, he also loves Stefan. Remember that."

When human Elena sighs in frustration and flips her eyes away, her vampire counterpart frowns deeply. "You don't believe he loves Stefan?"

"I don't think Damon knows what love is," she snaps and then pauses to calm her tone. "I know he cares for Stefan. And, for me. But, he's too selfish to love. Just because everyone in this town thinks Damon's in love with me, doesn't make it true."

"Everyone in town? What are talking about?"

"You, Caroline, even Isabelle. You talk about Damon's feelings for me like it's written in stone somewhere. Like, it's public knowledge or an accepted truth. But, he's never done anything to show that he loves me. I can see that he cares for me, that he wants to be my friend. Sometimes, he...pushes the limits, but that's it. And, that's good a thing. I don't want Damon to be in love with me. I love Stefan."

"He hasn't told you, yet," the vampire whispers in quiet realization.

"Told me what?" Elena huffs in irritation. She's getting tired of all the mystery and her lack of sleep is starting to wear down her patience.

Vampire Elena stares at her younger doppelgänger while she considers her options. She doesn't want to push her luck with these memories. So far, they've stumbled on innocent scenes of friendship, but eventually a memory strike will reveal a very raunchy situation between Elena and Damon. Then, Caroline's secret will be out and she'll be stuck holding the bag. She'll have to reveal the true nature of her relationship with Damon to a heartbroken Stefan and a, most likely traumatized, doppelgänger. But, human Elena needs to see. She needs to understand that Damon's feeling are real. Maybe, then she'll see him in the same light that her future self sees. Or, at least hate him less.

Besides, vampire Elena would really like to remember the first time Damon told her of his feelings. Of course, she remembers the first time after he returned from the dead. He stated it with such certainty and devotion that it took her breath away. It also scared the shit out of her. Elena struggled a great deal in the beginning, or the second beginning, of their relationship because of Damon's intensity. It wasn't until he learned to back off that things got better. Damon did his best to take things slow and act as though they barely knew each other. Because, that was Elena's reality. She had to get to know Damon and learn to like him before she could love him. Basically, Damon had to make her fall in love with him all over, again. For once, she'd like to remember Damon falling in love with her.

The vampire smiles at that thought and Elena tilts her head at the nostalgic expression on her doppelgänger's face. Before she can ask about it, vampire Elena has her hand pressed into the human's shoulder and the world around them dissolves. Suddenly, they are back in Elena's room and Damon sits on the bench in front of her window. The vervain necklace dangles from his fingers. He fidgets with the chain as he waits for Elena to finish in the bathroom.

"That's my necklace," human Elena notes and then gasps as she connects the dots. "This is it, isn't it?"

Vampire Elena stands in the center of the room with her eyes closed as she revels in the emotions of this memory. So much confusion and fear from her kidnapping swallowed by the relief and love of her family and friends. Her appreciation for Stefan and Damon glows bright, but the uncertainty of her future is a growing shadow.

It's an odd memory because the emotions from her talk with Damon do not stick. He compels them away and she's left to feel the same as she did before his arrival, but Elena now remembers exactly what his words stirred within her. She can't help but wonder how things would've changed had he not compelled her to forget.

"Yeah, this it."

"How did you call it? Why did it work this time?"

"I didn't mean to…I didn't realize this is when it happened, that this is the same memory. I just wanted you to hear him say it." vampire Elena tries to explain, but the anxiety in Damon's expression is distracting.

She's never seen Damon uncertain of his feelings for her. Loving Elena has always been as natural to Damon as breathing. At least, that's the way it's been since she can remember. Or, used to remember. Now, she can see his struggle. A struggle to accept his feelings for her. A struggle to accept her rejection, to protect his brother, then to keep her safe. Elena is suddenly very eager to see how Damon manages to overcome each obstacle and convince her to fall in love with him. She realizes that each step in their relationship was vital to for building the odd foundation that's sustained their love for two hundred years. For everything she put Damon through over the last two centuries, this is how he learned to endure and to love Elena through it all.

"I forgave him today," she whispers to her human counterpart. "He and Stefan risked their lives against Elijah to save me."

"Who's Elijah?" Elena asks, hoping her question doesn't instigate the same reaction as the last time she asks about someone from the future. Much to her relief the vampire answers without concern.

"He's Klaus' brother and an Original. They were out matched and, still, they didn't hesitate to save me."

"So, you forgave Damon? This is when you became friends, again? When is this?"

"A few weeks from now, I think."

Elena is surprised that it's only been a few weeks. How could she possibly forgive Damon for killing her brother in only a few weeks? Although, even now Elena struggles to maintain her ire toward him.

Suddenly, Elena exits her bathroom and Damon looks up from his concentration on her necklace. He wears a crooked smile and smoldering expression that completely hides his emotional turmoil. The human spectator notices the mask in that moment, a feat that the her memory version is too distracted to accomplish, and she wonders what the oldest Salvatore has planned.

"Cute PJs."

Surprised, Elena pauses in the middle of her room with an odd shuffle. Damon grimaces at her unease. This is first time he's been in her room since he snapped Baby Gilbert's neck. He doesn't blame her. Instead, it reinforces his decision.

"I'm tired, Damon."

He ignores her insinuation to leave and stands. His steps are heavy as he moves closer to her. There's a sense of resigned dread in his movement that only vampire Elena can feel. Even, his attempt light teasing has an somber edge.

"I brought you this."

"I thought that was gone," Elena says and when Damon shakes his head with a small wink, she almost smiles in relief. "Thank you."

When Elena reaches for the vervain filled jewelry, Damon tugs it back out of reach and her relief dissipates. Instead, it's replaced with alarm bells. Suddenly, the fear of compulsion is very real within Elena as she remember her experience with Elijah only hours before. But, this is Damon. He's had the chance to compel her in the past, but chose against it. So, Elena tries to stay calm and remember that Damon wouldn't hurt her.

"Please, give it back."

"I just have to say something…"

"I do you have to say it with my necklace?" She counters sternly and Damon struggles to find the words he needs to explain. Meanwhile, human Elena crosses her arms with the same unhappy expression as her memory version. She grits her teeth at Damon's coming words, sure that it will be an offensive stain that he'll be forced to purge from her memory to maintain their newly found friendship.

"Well…because, what I'm about to say is…probably the most selfish thing I've ever said in my life." The honest emotion in his eyes worries Elena. The last time he tried to discuss his feelings Jeremy died.

"Damon, don't go there."

He steps closer in a desperate pleas for her to understand. "No, I just have to say it once. You just need to hear it."

And, suddenly he is a hair's breath from her face, looking at her with the most honest and open expression she's ever seen from him. No smirk or smoldering eyes, or snide comment to hide behind. Just Damon. Just him and the complete love and devotion for this small, doe-eyed human. Memory Elena falls still under the intensity of his gaze, but her older, human version fights a sudden surge of panic as she realizes what's about to happen. What future Elena wanted her to see him say and just happened to be what he compelled her to forget.

"I love you, Elena." He speaks as though it's the first time he's admitted it out loud. Memory Elena suddenly realizes that maybe it is the first time. She notes a slight resignation in his tone as though Damon's been struggling to come to terms with the idea. Now, it seems he's ready to face them. But, that doesn't mean Elena wants to deal with them. In fact, she's done everything she can to dissuade any feelings he might have for her. She certainly hasn't allowed any of her own feelings for Damon to twist into something inappropriate. She loves Stefan. Although, at the moment, Elena can't seem to focus past the warmth and exhilaration that Damon's words seem to cause deep within her.

The human spectator swallows hard and watches her memory version carefully, cautious of her worst nightmare coming true. For some reason, she experiences an wave of relief at the fact that her memory counterpart doesn't immediately jump into Damon's arms. It's not like she truly believed that a declaration from her boyfriend's brother could possible dissuade Elena from her morals. But, she realizes now that a tiny, tiny, almost invisible, part of her mind considered the possibility. Of course, it's ridiculous. Remember, Damon's too selfish to truly love anyone. No matter what he thinks he says. And, then he speaks, again, shattering spectator Elena.

"And, it's because I love you that…I can't be selfish with you. Why you can't know this. I don't deserve you, but my brother does."

The crack in Damon's voice is heartbreaking and she is surprised by the implications of his words. He doesn't think he's good enough for her? Is he giving his blessing to Stefan and Elena? In that moment, something bubbles up within spectator Elena that nearly takes her breath away. And, for the first time since meeting Damon, she truly believes he understands the true nature of love. Does that mean she was wrong all along? That Damon was truly heartbroken by Katherine's betrayal. Did he love her with the same intensity? He wasn't willing to let Stefan have Katherine. Does that mean he loved her more or less than he loves Elena? Spectator Elena shakes her head to squash the questions bouncing around her mind and reign in the explosion of confusion and empathy for her boyfriend's brother.

Slowly, Damon places his lips on Elena's forehead and, surprised by the endearing act, she lets him. The feel of his lips against her flesh leaves a lingering warmth that she chooses to ignore. She's overwhelmed by Damon's sheer, raw emotion and the catalyst of change it's instigated within Elena. Tears well up as she struggles to understand and control.

"God, I wish you didn't have to forget this," he murmurs as he tugs a strand of hair back. She frowns at the implication, but too late. He's already captured her gaze. "But, you do."

A tear falls from Damon's blue gaze and the then he's gone.


	24. Chapter 24

Chapter 24

Elena stands in her empty room, confused. She walked into her room from the bathroom with the intent to do…something. But, for the life of her, she can't remember what. Oh, well. It's been a long day, and it's time for bed.

 _Maybe, that's what it was. I'm tired and I need sleep. Maybe, my sanity will return tomorrow. Not likely. I'm in love with a 150 year old vampire,_ Elena muses silently as she touches her vervain necklace unconsciously. It always reminds her of Stefan and her love for him.

Human Elena watches her memory version climb into bed as though Damon were never here. But, he was here and he said things. Things that shouldn't have been said. Things that change…everything. No, that's not right. It doesn't change _everything_ , but it does change _some_ things.

"So, he's really in love with me?"

"Yeah," vampire Elena answers with a smile. She stares out the dark window, savoring the memory of Damon's vulnerable moment. The beauty of watching Damon fall in love with her is extraordinary. Watching his struggle to even say the words some how strengthens her bond with him. She'd no idea that it was even possible to feel closer to the man she'd spent 200 years with. Elena closes her eyes and breaths in the tidal wave of euphoria that her vampire emotions create. As much as she hates the negative aspects of vampirism, this is a perk she's determined to experience as much as possible. She almost feels bad that her human counterpart can't feel love this deep.

"I don't want to hurt him. I mean, I love Stefan. That's never going to change. He said he didn't deserve me," human Elena mutters as she tries to rectify Damon's confession within her mind. The thought of Damon feeling inadequate stabs at Elena's heart, but she quickly hardens it. Damon needs to understand that he can't hurt people and maybe this confession is a sign that he wants to change. "I need to speak with him. My Damon. I have to…"

"No," vampire Elena interrupts, finally pulling away from her private celebration. "That's not a good idea."

"What do you mean?"

"He's not there, yet. Your Damon, I mean," the older doppelgänger tries to explain. Seeing Elena's confusion, she continues. "Look, this Damon was struggling. He said it and then erased it from my mind. He didn't say for my sake, he said it for his. That was probably the first time that he'd admitted it out loud."

"I don't understand. Why would Damon struggle with that? He's always cared for me."

It's obvious to vampire Elena that her human counterpart doesn't know about or understand Damon's fifty year break from his emotions. The older Elena may not remember Damon regaining his humanity, but he's described it enough for Elena to understand that she was the catalyst. And, the last fifty years have proven that she's still the anchor to his humanity switch. Elena opens her mouth to explain to her younger version, but pauses. There's too much to explain and where does she begin? Is is really her story to tell? She opts for a simpler explanation that proves just as true, if incomplete.

"Because, you're his brother's girlfriend. He may pretend otherwise, but the guilt of stealing his brother's girl…"

"He's not stealing me," human Elena growls. "I love Stefan, no matter how Damon feels about me."

"Right, sorry. I didn't mean…"

Suddenly, the memory of Elena's room fades and slowly the bathroom returns around them. Vampire Elena bites her lip anxiously at her slip up and avoids eye contact with the younger doppelgänger. Human Elena notices the odd behavior and her agitation grows.

"You know what, I don't want to talk about this anymore. Let's just go down stairs and wait for Jenna and Jeremy."

"Okay," vampire Elena nods, watching her counterpart open the door and lead them back into the bedroom. She silently plans her escape, still determined to avoid a family reunion. "How much longer do you think it'll be?"

"Actually, I'm surprised they aren't here alr…Oh my God, Stefan!"

Human Elena rushes to Stefan's side on the floor. A crumpled mess, Stefan groans and writhes in pain. She wipes at the sweat glistening on his pale face with her sleeve. "What's wrong with him?!"

Vampire Elena steps around the couple, minding the ten foot rule, and stares at Stefan with concern. There isn't much that can make a vampire ill, usually witches are involved. Maybe, the munchkins paid him a visit when the two Elenas were in the bathroom. Suddenly, Elena notices the wound on Stefans arm.

"What is that on his arm?" She asks pointing, and her younger version lifts Stefan's arm for a better view. He grimaces from the pain and mutters something unintelligible.

"What's happening to him?" Human Elena asks as her voices catches in her throat and tears well. Stefan is a vampire. He's not supposed to die. Not ever. She can't lose him, too.

"Oh, no," vampire Elena whispers as she recognizes the dark edge and black veins around the wound. "It's a werewolf bite. When did that happen?"

"I don't know. He's been with us this whole time, when would he have been bitten?"

Vampire Elena watches her human version fawn over Stefan with great concern and love. She pulls his prone body close to her in an effort to comfort his pain, but the older doppelgänger recognizes a dangerous sign. Stefan eyes open with a cloudy hue that suggests he isn't lucid and his human mask falls away. Cradled against the human's warm body and pressed into her petite bosom, Stefan can hear the blood rushing through her veins and his rabid hunger is uncontrollable.

"You need to leave," vampire Elena commands her counterpart. Stefan's vampiric face slips away at the sound of Elena's voice and he struggles to fight the hunger. "Now."

"What? No, he needs me."

"The venom, it's making him hungry. Like, mad-dog hungry. You need to leave, or he'll hurt you," vampire Elena tries to explain.

"Katherine, she's not like you…" Stefan mutters and Elena pulls him closer.

"Stefan, it's me. It's Elena. I'm here with you," she says through small tears.

"Damon…he's wrong…you can't choose him…you can't love him…"

"He's hallucinating," vampire Elena says and steps closer, only to have the air around them hum with power. "And, dangerous."

"I'm not leaving him. He'd never hurt me."

The older Elena growls at her younger version's obstinance. Angry and fed-up, the vampire rushes to the human and jerks her away from Stefan and toward the exit only to find themselves yanked into Mystic Falls square.

"Damn it," vampire Elena complains.

"Why did you do that? We don't have time for another memory," the human complains, looking around the dark square. She ignores the swarm of people all around and the large projection of _Gone with the Wind_ in the middle of the park.

"I didn't mean to do it. I was trying to get you out of there."

"I don't need you to protect me," Elena almost screams at the vampire. "You're supposed to be me. You should know how crappy it feels to be sheltered from everything and have other people make decisions for you. _I_ make my own decisions. Not Stefan, or Damon, and certainly not you."

"Shut up," vampire Elena growls, showing a bit of fang. "You need to suck it up and grow up a little."

"Excuse me?"

"You don't want people sheltering you and making decisions for you, then stop putting herself in danger. You're human. Deal with it," Elena argues as she slips her human face back into place. "And, it's not all about you. I wanted you out of the room for your safety and for Stefan's sanity. Werewolf bites kill vampires, so he's struggling to survive, right now. That needs to be his focus, not controlling his hunger. If you paid even the slightest bit of attention toward him, instead of panicking about loosing him, you might have noticed your close proximity was driving him crazy. Any other vampire would've eaten you on sight."

Elena glares at her older doppelgänger for suggesting that she does't have Stefan's best interest at heart. She loves Stefan and would do anything for him. Her vampire version should know that, so why would she question it?

"Elena," Damon mutters and three versions of Elena twirl around to face him. Seeing her husband so pale and weak, sets vampire Elena on edge and she has to remind herself that he survives this infection. But, human Elena doesn't have such luxuries. She gasps at his condition, recognizing the similarities with Stefan's sickness.

"Is this how Damon dies?" She asks as memory Elena rushes to his side.

"No, Stefan gets the cure from Klaus. But, he had to..trade for it. That's why he left."

"To save Damon?" Elena asks and watches her counterpart nod in confirmation. "So, that's why Damon worked so hard to bring him back. He probably felt guilty."

Vampire Elena wants to point out that Damon helped to save Stefan because that's what the Salvatore brothers do. They help each other. They may fight on occasion, more so before Elena and Caroline came into the picture, but no matter what, they always showed up to save each other. Well, mostly always. It's hard to know when someone needs savings when you haven't spoken to them in fifty years. Regardless, when Stefan needed help to escape Klaus, Damon came to the rescue.

Elena wants to defend Damon from her younger version's claim, but decides against it when memory Damon bites his Elena in a hallucination fueled fit of hunger. Instead, she lets the human doppelgänger watch the memory of Damon dying of a werewolf bite. The youngest Elena watches memory Elena try to comfort the remorseful vampire and listen to his deathbed confessions. Tears well in her human eyes as Damon thanks Elena for her sympathetic kiss, even though human Elena knows Damon doesn't die. Despite that foreknowledge, she still rejoices when Katherine shows up out of the blue with a vial of Klaus' blood.

Human Elena tries not to take Katherine's comment about loving them both to heart. Obviously, memory Elena was merely fulfilling a dying man's wish and nothing more, but it still makes her uneasy. She's quickly slapped back to reality, when Stefan's painful scream echoes through Elena's bedroom. The girls are suddenly standing at the exit and vampire Elena rushes to Stefan. Human Elena instinctively tries to follow, but an outreached hand beckons her to stop.

"No, please leave," vampire Elena begs and the younger doppelgänger stops.

"We need the cure," she says and the vampire nods.

"Call Caroline. She'll know what to do."

Human Elena rushes out the door and downstairs, pulling her cell phone out as she descends the steps. Vampire Elena cradles Stefan in her arms and watches him with great sympathy. He groans and mutters something about Katherine, but she just ignores his ramblings. Elena picks up the eternal teenager and places him on top of the bed. She quickly grabs a cloth from the bathroom and wets it, returning to place it on his face. He calms a few moments after the cool cloth touches his abnormally warm skin, and then opens his eyes. They seem clear, if not weak.

"Elena…"

"Shhh. You need to rest."

"Why him?" He asks weakly. Elena tries to look confused, and brushes off the question.

"Stefan, you're sick and hallucinating. What you're seeing isn't real."

He grimaces when another surge of pain wracks his nervous system and Elena grabs his hand firmly for comfort, knowing it won't help. After a moment, the pain seems to ease slightly and he takes a deep breath. Again, he looks at Elena. This time with a grim resignation.

"You love him, don't you?"

"Stefan, I…" Elena can't think of anything to say. She's never had this conversation with Stefan. At least, not that she remembers. In the love story that Elena remembers, Stefan had already moved on with Caroline when she started dating Damon. Elena doesn't know how to handle this situation, so she just stares at Stefan with her mouth open. Tears well in her eyes at the pain in Stefan's expression and she's not sure what's hurting him more, the venom or her betrayal.

"Katherine," he whispers, but Elena shakes her head and wipes her eyes.

"No, it wasn't like that. I never betrayed you."

"Katherine," Stefan growls and then winces in pain as he lifts his hand weakly. Elena turns to look where he's pointing and finds Katherine standing at the bedroom door. She leans against the doorframe with a conniving smile that only slightly hides her pitiful state. Pale and covered in sweat, Katherine looks worse than her days as a homeless human.

"Hello, lover."

Instantly, Elena lurches to Katherine and pins her against the wall. With her free hand buried in the evil doppelgänger's chest, Elena only hesitates when the bitch chuckles maniacally.

"Kill me, and you'll kill him," she whispers with blood seeping from her mouth. Elena frowns in confusion before recognizing Stefan's screams. She glances over her shoulder without removing her hand from around Katherine's heart to find the youngest Salvatore brother covered in blood and grabbing at a wound in his chest. He squirms and thrashes on the bed, smearing her sheets with red blood. Elena slowly removes her hand from Katherine's chest, but keeps a firm grip on her throat. As the wound slowly heals on the doppelgänger, so does Stefan. The bitch smiles weakly and Elena notes a werewolf bite identical to Stefan's on her arm.

"You're linked to him," Elena growls and releases Katherine.

"Whatever happens to me, happens to him. Including dying of a werewolf bite," Katherine says. She tries to sound superior, but in here weakened state, she can only manage a resigned bitterness.

"Why am I not surprised?" Elena mutters. "God forbid, you just die in a ditch somewhere, never to be found."

"Look who's grown a back bone. Having two Salvatore brothers at your beck and call for two centuries must really do a job on your confidence," Katherine quips as she pushes away from the way, only to fall back against it when walking proves too difficult. "I'm afraid we don't have time for games, tonight, Elena. Grab Stefan and bring him downstairs."

"Why?"

"Because, I make the rules. You should know that by now," she answers snidely and then uses the walls to steady herself and exit the room.

Grumbling, Elena picks Stefan up from the bed. He mumbles incoherently about Lexie as she carries him down the stairs. When they reach the living room, Elena isn't surprised to find Lucy Bennett standing next to the couch with human Elena. The youngest doppelgänger glares at the taller woman as though they'd already had words. Elena curses herself for not paying attention while tending to Stefan. She should've heard Katherine and Lucy enter the house and certainly any argument between the witch and human. Then, she notices the burning sage on the coffee table and suddenly she doesn't feel so bad. A privacy spell would've masked any noise downstairs. Katherine sits in the large sofa-chair and grasps at the armrests as though her life depends on it. Elena notices Katherine's eyes dulling into an unfocused cloud.

"She's outrunning her demon's at the moment, honey," Lucy says to Elena and motions toward the couch. "Why don't you lay him down?"

"How long have you been here?"

"Since before your family left for a late night movie," Lucy answers nonchalantly. "Katherine made sure your family wouldn't return until late. She doesn't like to be interrupted. I made sure you wouldn't spot us, while I cast the linking spell after you arrived."

 _Well, that explains why Jenna and Jeremy are late._ Vampire Elena glances at the wall clock, surprised to find that they've been home for about twenty months minutes. It feels like she's been in this house for days.

"Why are you helping her, Lucy?" Elena asks as she places Stefan gently on to the couch. He growls and pushes her away.

"Get away from me, Katherine."

Elena doesn't fight him when he tries to stand and then falls back down to the couch. He settles with sitting before falling prey to the images in his mind. He stares absently up at the ceiling and human Elena whimpers in concern for him.

"Please, you have to let us help him. He's sick," she begs Lucy.

"I know, darling. And, I want you to help him. All you have to do is help Katherine."

"Lucy, this isn't going to end well for you," vampire Elena says with a pleading tone. "You can walk away from this, right now."

"I can't. The bitch saved my life once, so I owe her. Once you save her, I'm free," she explains in business like tone. "Either way, you have to go back to where you came from. Or, when…whatever."

"You know that she's from the future?" Human Elena asks.

"Of course, I can feel it all around her."

"Witches can feel the imbalance from the portal. They're drawn to the portal and those that've used it," vampire Elena explains. "The spirits drive them to returns us and close the portal."

"Repairing the imbalance," Lucy agrees, slightly impressed by Elena's knowledge. "You've done this before."

"A couple times."

"Enough chatter," Katherine growls from her cushy throne. "Tell me about the cure."

"Did you call Caroline?" Vampire Elena asks her human version, but she shakes her head.

"I tried. The call wouldn't go through."

"Try again."

"Fuck Caroline, and tell me where to find the cure," Katherine snarls before suddenly pushing back into he chair as she is wracked with a wave of pain. Her fingers rip into the arm rests like butter when she braces from the pain. A moment later, Katherine seems to relax and she leans forward, trying to catch her breath.

"It doesn't matter, Katherine. You're going to die," vampire Elena says coldly, crossing her arms over her chest to glare at her evil doppelgänger.

"No, if she dies, Stefan will die, too," human Elena says with a panicked expression, but still holding the phone to her ear. She suddenly slams the phone shut in frustration. "It says all the circuits are busy. How's that even possible?"

Elena frowns and looks around suspiciously. Are they here? Or, is that a coincidence. Maybe, it's Lucy.

"Did you cast a spell to block communication outside this house?" She asks the witch, only to have her snicker at the question.

"That's not possible."

 _I guess that answers that question_ , Elena says silently. She looks around again for any sign of the munchkins. If they were here, would they let their father die? Without their humanity? Maybe. Given that this Stefan isn't truly their father but a copy of him from a different universe, Elena's pretty certain they won't give a damn about saving him. Especially, if it means they have to save the woman they were trying to kill earlier.

"If I have to ask again, I'm going to rip out my dull little doppelgänger's throat," Katherine says weakly, somehow still managing to sound menacing.

"We're trying to get you the cure, but we need to reach, Caroline. Right?" Human Elena says, looking to her vampire counterpart.

"It doesn't matter. There's no way we can get the cure for Katherine. Stefan, maybe."

"What's it matter who it's for?" Lucy asks.

"Because, there are only two known cures for werewolf venom. Both of which want Katherine dead," Elena growls at the witch.

"Look at that, Kat. You were right. Not only does the time traveler know about the cure, but she knows of two," Lucy says with a smile, ignoring Elena's claim.

"I heard her, Momma," Katherine mumbles, her eyes growing unfocused, again. She starts mumbling in Bulgarian and tears fall from her eyes as she cries for a loved one. Human Elena can't stop the pang of sympathy for the dying immortal, but her vampiric version scowls at her.

"Do not feel sorry for her. Be glad that you'll be rid of her, and pray that it sticks."

"She's suffering," the human argues. "And, she's taking Stefan with her. I can't be happy about that."

"Stefan isn't going to die," vampire Elena argues, turning to the witch to bare her vampire fangs threateningly. "Because, you are going to release him."

Lucy quickly throws out her hand, causing the blood vessels in Elena's brain to explode as fast as her vampirism can heal her. "No, I won't. To save him, you have to save Katherine."

"I can't save her. The cure is Klaus' blood," Elena screams, clutching her head but remaining on her feet.

"Who's Klaus?" Lucy asks, releasing her magical hold on Elena.

"It doesn't matter. She's right. That one's not an option. What about the second one?" Katherine says, angrily.

"The twins are the only other people that can help you. And, they seem to want you dead, too," Elena explains, not bothering to hide her pleasure. But, then Stefan grimaces and her guilt washes away her vindictive streak.

"We have to do something," Stefan says weakly from the couch, leaning forward as though nauseas. Human Elena tries to rush to his side to comfort him, but Lucy grabs her. She doesn't want the rabid vampires to eat Elena and if she gets to close they might do just that. Especially, Katherine.

Vampire Elena uses the witches distraction to her advantage. She moves so fast, Lucy doesn't notice the vampire at her back until it's too late. Elena rips into Lucy's neck with the intent to incapacitate not kill. The strike is fast and hard, and blood spews from the witches neck, splattering across everyone in the living room and staining the couch. Elena screams when blood splashes across her face and chest. She stumbles away from the spray, shielding her eyes, and lands clumsily on the couch next to Stefan.

Within seconds, Lucy has passed out from blood loss and Elena has smeared vampire blood into the wound to prevent the witch's death. She shoves the unconscious woman at Stefan, now recovering fro Lucy's kaput spell, and sets her eyes on the Katherine. The evil doppelgänger watches the fanatic attack, not entirely sure it to be reality. It seems to all be the same, now. Katherine Pierce stands from the plush chair and glares at vampire Elena. Electricity hums in the air because of the two Elena's proximity, but the bitch doesn't notice.

"I will not die slowly in my bed," she growls and Elena nods in agreement.

"No, you won't."

An instant later, Elena has Katherine across the room and pinned against the wall by the throat. She struggles weakly against the younger vampire at first, but stops after a few pointless moments. She breathes heavily against her doppelgänger's tight grip and hangs limp in resignation.

"Do it," she whispers.

"I will, but first you have to do something for me. You have to answer my question. And, you have to answer it honestly."

"Or, what? You'll let me live?" Katherine chuckles, blood spilling from her mouth again, and she grimaces at another wave of pain. "Just get this over with already."

"Tell me the truth and I will tell you something that will make you genuinely happy. I mean real happiness, Katherine. Something you probably haven't felt since you were human."

Katherine doesn't believe Elena's claims for a second, but she wants to end this wretched pain, so she'll play along. And, why not use her last words on this planet to fuck with Elena Gilbert one last time? That'll piss off Damon and Stefan, won't it? Too bad all her scheming was for not. She'll never enjoy true freedom. And, never again, will she taste Stefan on her lips. The bitterness of failure drains what strength she has left.

"Fine, whatever," she mumbles weakly.

"Do you still miss her? Does it still hurt to think of her? Even, after 500 years?" Elena asks, her eyes filling with tears as she lets a small drop of her sorrow escape from behind her wall of denial, built by her humanity switch.

Between hallucinatory images of her dead family and terrifying images of Klaus, Katherine almost doesn't hear the question. The tears in Elena's eyes automatically beckon an eye roll from the older vampire, but she finally concentrates enough to translate the meaning of her question.

"Yes," Katherine answers. And, she's surprised to find that it's the truth. Katherine never had the chance to hold her her daughter. She was certainly never given the opportunity to name her or raise her. But, carrying her child in her womb for nine months and birthing her was the most meaningful experience in her five hundred years of existence. And, still to this day, Katherine wishes she had more time with her child. She'd give anything, just for the chance to hold her.

"Her name is Nadia, and she's alive," Elena whispers through her own pain. "You're daughter is alive."

Katherine listens to the words, but isn't sure if they are real or just a figment of her imagination. It doesn't really matter because she latches on to them like a life raft. Hope springs up from deep within Katherine and brings a hint of hope with it.

"Take comfort in the fact that she will probably live longer in this timeline than in mine because of your death."

Katherine doesn't have a chance to fully comprehend the statement before Elena rips her heart out. Dropping the grey body of her doppelgänger, Elena stumbles away and wipes at her tears. Blood from her hands smear across her cheeks, mixing Katherine and Lucy's blood, but she doesn't care. Instead, she sucks in a deep breath and wrestles the negative emotions she let slip back behind her wall of humanity. Just about calmed down, Elena considers just darting into the night so as to avoid any more uncomfortable conversations with Stefan and her human version. But, human Elena's scream rips away any thoughts of escape.

Elena spins around to find Stefan ripping into his girlfriend's tender neck and Lucy's headless corpse at his feet.


	25. Chapter 25

AN: I'm sorry for another short one, but I'm going to try to post the next chapter very quickly. Sometime this week! We are getting to the fun parts, so I'm really excited. I honestly didn't think it would take this many words to get here. I've got so much more planned, and I hope you guys stick with me. :)

I promise that the boys will make an appearance when the time is right, and I have SO much planned for them when they get here. We are going to have so much fun with them! First, everything has to hit the fan for the girls because Stefan and Damon have to show up in style. *hint, hint*

Anyway, thanks so much for over 150 reviews. YIPEE! We've also passed the 100k words marker, and we still have a long way to go. :)

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Chapter 25

Stefan is good guy. At least, he tries to be. He likes to play the hero, and he's usually pretty good at it. But, it's not easy. Figuring out what the 'right thing' is can sometimes be just as difficult as actually doing it. That's one reason why he fell in love with Elena. Her moral compass always points due North. When Stefan's unsure of what to do, he can just do as she asks and trust that it's the right thing. Sometimes, it's hard to give Elena what she wants because the world doesn't always let him. Tonight is a good example.

Tonight, Stefan was supposed to be his girlfriend's emotional support while she uncovers mysteries about the future and introduces said future to her family. He anticipated the emotional toll exposing Jenna to the supernatural world would take on Elena and he want to be there in case she need him. He did not anticipate Katherine. She was supposed to be dead already. Apparently, werewolf bites take longer to kill than he realized.

Instead of holding Elena's hand while she divulges the secrets of vampirism to Jenna, Stefan relives night after night as the Ripper of Monterey. He listens to the scream of his victims and savors the taste of their warm blood. He revels in the feel of their hearts slowing and then finally stopping just before their heads break loose from their body. It's a satisfying high that's unmatched by anything else in this world. It's also the most horrific and evil thing Stefan has ever done. And, he's done it a lot.

"It not very hero-like, Brother," Damon says, walking through the 1917 campsite. He peeks into one open tent and makes a disgusted face before tugging the flap closed. "All this blood and gore. What would Elena think?"

Stefan finishes with the young man in his arms and tosses the headless body into one of the large tents. He ignores the taunts from his imaginary brother and listens for the very real heart beat of a woman hiding inside one of the camp barrels. A moment later, Stefan rips her from her hiding spot and she screams in horror at the site of him covered in her husband's blood. Stefan pulls the woman close and bares his fangs, anticipating another hit from his drug of choice.

"Stefan, stop," Lexie says from behind Damon. She pushes him a side and stands directly in front of Stefan, pleading for him to release the innocent girl. "You have to control this part of you, and all the other bad parts of being a vampire. You're better than this."

"Is he really? I mean, I'm pretty much the standard for evil in his mind, but I've never done anything like this…"

"Shut up, Damon," Lexi growls at the dark man and then turns back to Stefan with the compassion and steel will that defines her. "Listen to me, Stefan. You're going to stop, now. None of this is real. You're hallucinating and divulging in these memories because you know they aren't real. But, what happens when you wake up?"

"He'll go back to the brooding hero we all love. More importantly, the hero that Elena loves," Damon says with a shrug as he leans against a tree, but then quickly rights himself as though a thought just crosses his mind. "Oh, wait…oops. I mean the hero she used to love."

"This isn't about Elena. This about you and the fact that what you're doing is wrong. You can't be the good guy and enjoy killing innocent people."

"I don't," Stefan whispers as the terrified woman in his arms whimpers. "I don't want to kill her."

"Then, don't," Lexie says with the same gentle smile that always helps pull Stefan front the edge. And, he can feel it working once again. At least, until her smile twists into a gasp of anguish and her skin pales to ash before she tumbles to the ground with a stake sticking from her back. Damon stands behind Lexi's dead body with a faux expression of guilt that vaguely hides his satisfaction.

"I'm sorry, but it was for the greater good. We had to get the town off our back."

"What did you do?!" Stefan screams in horror and pain at the loss of his best friend. He tightens his grip on the young, dark haired woman in his hands. The sound of her heart thrums in his ears and his blood thirst surges.

"He's just being Damon," Katherine says, stepping out from behind the older Salvatore brother. She slips a hand over Damon's chest possessively as she stares a Stefan with a sadistic grin. "He's the bad brother. The evil one. So, he get's to do whatever he wants. Even, steal your girl. Twice."

Stefan growls at Katherine angrily, but recognizes the truth of her words. Damon has it so easy. He does whatever he wants, whenever he wants. He has perfect control of his vampire side, but still he divulges in the bloodlust when it suits him and treats humans as breakable toys. He never pays the consequences of his actions or cleans up his messes. The only time Damon pretends to have shred of humanity left is when he's is trying steal Elena. Katherine wasn't enough, no he has to take Elena, too. What does that leave Stefan? Nothing. All the control, the pain, the sorrow of playing the hero, but none of the rewards.

If Lexi were here, she'd remind Stefan that being a good person isn't about the rewards. It's about being able to look at yourself in the mirror at night. It's about not destroying what good remains in the world. It's about protecting people like Elena from turning into people like Katherine. She'd remind him of everything he already knows. But, Lexi isn't here to say these things. She isn't here to pull him from the edge that werewolf poison and demons from his past pushed him toward. Instead, he's all alone, and he knows the one anchor to his control and humanity that he has left will eventually leave him for his brother. Resigning to his fate, Stefan rips into the young woman in his arms and disappears into the high.

When the hallucination ebbs, Stefan sits on the couch in Elena's living room. Katherine is here, arguing with Elena. Two humans stand at the end of the couch. They taunt him with their heartbeats, but he's too weak to reach them.

"We have to do something," he murmurs when Elena announces the futility of their plight. Elena may not want him anymore, but he still wants to live. He wants to taste the sweetness of human blood, again. He'd give anything for just a drop, right now. As though the gods above are listening, a spray of red nectar splatters across the room and covers Stefan's face and chest. The feeling of strength and joy from that one taste is exhilarating. Stefan swallows every ounce of blood he can find, scrapping it from his face and arms into his mouth. Even as the world brightens from Lucy's curse breaking, Stefan's bloodlust wipes it all away except the two beating, human hearts.

When Elena shoves the unconscious Lucy at him, Stefan silently rejoices at the familiar feel of a victim drawing her last breath. He's not concerned with the scuffle between Elena and Katherine, the bitch deserves what she gets. All Stefan can see is the pulsating vein in Lucy's neck and succumbs to the call of her blood. When he rips into her caramel skin, Stefan is lost in the euphoria of his high. He doesn't hear the other human calling to him at his side or feel her small, familiar hands tugging at him. It isn't until he hears the tell-tale crack of Lucy's spine breaking loose that Stefan lifts his face from his meal.

That's when his vampire eyes meet her horrified, tear-filled gaze. And, reality finally slams into Stefan like a sledgehammer. He drops Lucy's headless corpse, but doesn't watch it fall from the couch onto the blood soaked floor. He can't take his eyes from Elena, sitting on the other end of the couch and covered in Lucy's blood.

Elena grimaces at Lucy's lifeless body and sobs from the horror of it all. Still, she's quick to turn back to Stefan because she knows it's not his fault. It's the bloodlust that makes him…do this…It was bloodlust. It had to be. Stefan would never chew someone's head off. Oh, God…no, he would never murder a helpless person like that. It was the bloodlust.

 _This isn't Stefan_ , Elena silently prays.

Stefan watches the horror on his girlfriend's blood-smeared face twist into sympathy for his victim and a desperate pleading for him. He isn't sure if her silent pleas are for her sake or his. He slowly lifts a hand toward her tear soaked cheek, but she flinches away at the sight of his blood-covered fingers reaching for her. Instantly, Stefan catches a whiff of her fear induced adrenaline rush and listens to her already spiked heart rate increase to impossible speeds. It's like music to his ears and his mouth waters at the thought of her heart pumping that sweet red nectar into his mouth. He closes his eyes and tries to reign in his control, but a moment later they spring open.

"Run," he whispers, barely able to form the worlds around his fangs.

"No," she answers automatically. "I'm not leaving you."

"Please," he urges, pushing himself up from the couch, but Elena follows.

"Stefan, you can do this. You already look better. I can see that the spell has broken," she says, motioning to Lucy's pitiful state on the floor. "You had to kill her to break the spell. I understand that. It's okay. I'm here for you. You'll detox again, and everything will go back to normal."

"Normal?" Stefan repeats, shocked by the absurdity of her suggestion as his vampire face disappears.

"Stefan, I love you," Elena says, placing her hand on his chest. Her blood covered hand almost disappears against his completely soaked shirt.

"For now," he mutters bitterly, and she frowns stubbornly at him.

"For always."

She slips her hand to his cheek and strokes it lovingly. Stefan savors the gentle feel of her skin and tilts his head into her touch. She smiles at him in relief, somehow feeling better at the sign of affection. Stefan turns his face to toward her hand more and his lips brush across her palm, scrapping Lucy's blood across his lips. Instinctively, his tongue darts out and tastes the drug. Elena immediately realizes her mistake and an unfamiliar wave of of fear washes over her. Never before has she feared Stefan. Never before has she considered the possibility that he might hurt her. But, the moment his vampire face resurfaces and his bloodied gaze fixates on her, she gasps in horror. She screams in pain when his fangs piece her neck.

Instantly, vampire Elena rips Stefan away from his victim and human Elena instinctively falls to the floor, grabbing at her wound. She crawls away as best she can with one hand pressed against her neck in an effort to stop the bleeding. Vampire Elena stands between Stefan and human Elena, but Stefan is fixated on the fresh blood spewing from his victim. He surges toward his girlfriend and vampire Elena reacts quickly. She breaks Stefan's neck with a crack and scrambles to her counterpart's side before the youngest Salvatore brother hits the ground.

Almost two hundreds years of medical training kicks in and Elena instinctively places her palms over her doppelgänger's hands to hold pressure to the wound. Elena's house slowly disappears and the boarding house assembles around them. No longer smelling blood, vampire Elena slowly lifts her hands from the human's grip. The younger doppelgänger follows suit when the pain of her wound seems to disappeared.

"Is it gone? Am I healed?"

"Yes. At least, here you are. You're probably still injured in the real world," vampire Elena explains, standing up. She holds her hand out to her long haired version, helping her to her feet.

"Am I going to die while we watch this memory?"

"No. Remember, we'll only be dazed for a minute and we won't move. Once we're back to reality, I'll give you my blood and…" vampire Elena tries to calm her counterpart's fear, but a though makes her pause. "Wait, I can't give you my blood."

"Why?"

"Because, it's your blood. I mean, what if doesn't work?"

"So, we'll go with plan B. What's the worst that can happen?"

"I don't know. The two universes could implode on each other, or something else just as crazy. This doppelgänger thing is weird enough. Besides, the fact that you're still alive means Stefan didn't completely severe your carotid artery. You're lucky that he only nicked it. The combined pressure of our hands is slowing the rate of blood flow from the wound, increasing time until death to twelve and half minutes. If I lift my hands or change the amount of pressure to the wound, blood flow will increase and that time is cut in half."

Human Elena slowly sits in one of the plush chairs surrounding them, and stares at her counterpart in shock. "How do you know all that?"

"I'm a doctor. It's not the first severed artery that I've treated," Elena says with a gentle smile meant to comfort the small human.

"That's good. That means you can save me, right? Even, without the vampire blood?" Human Elena peers up at her vampire version with hopeful eyes, but the returned expression isn't confident.

"Do remember where you're phone is?"

The human immediately pats her pockets, expecting to find it in its rightful place. She's not too alarmed to find all her pockets empty, but she's not comforted by the knowledge either.

"I think I put it in my pocket."

"Okay, when we get back, you have to use one hand to reach the phone."

"You said if we change the pressure…"

"I know, but we have to do something. And, I can apply more pressure as you move your hand."

"Okay," Elena says in a shaky voice that cracks into a sob as the seriousness of the situation weighs too heavily on the young girl. "How could he have done this to me? I thought he loved me."

Vampire Elena's heart breaks at the pain and fear in her younger version's voice. She remembers feeling this way. She remembers the sense of loss at losing that unwavering trust in her love for Stefan. She also remembers waking up after her trauma to find Damon at her bedside in the hospital. He lifted her up into his arms and carried her all the way to the boarding house. She felt so safe in his arms. Recognizing the memory at hand, vampire Elena looks toward the front door in time to see Damon enter with Elena still in his arms.

Damon gently sets the young girl down in one of the plush chairs and squats in front of her. "Elena, what happened?"

She shifts uncomfortably in the seat and leans toward Damon until her forehead rests against the crook of his shoulder. His scent is overwhelmingly warm and makes her feel safe.

"He attacked me," Elena answers through a silent sob.

"Klaus?" Damon asks hopefully, but senses the truth. A truth that haunts him for not being there to stop it, for not teaching Stefan control when he had the chance, for playing any part, no matter how small, that allowed Elena to be hurt in this way.

"Stefan," she confirms and then slowly describes the night of horror. Human Elena watches the memory version of her older self experience the same shock and trauma that she's enduring. She also watches Damon listen and comfort her when he can. Finally, as Damon stands to wrap memory Elena in a nearby blanket and pour a glass of bourbon, human Elena glances at her vampire counterpart.

"It happened to you, too."

"It's bound to happen when you date a ripper," she responds with a shrug. Human Elena frowns at the unfamiliar term.

"Hey, have some bourbon," Damon says, handing her the glass as he sits across from her on the couch. "It'll help you forget."

Elena takes the glass reluctantly. She's not certain alcohol will help, but it certainly couldn't hurt. She'd give almost anything to dull this pain. She slowly sips from the glass and cringes at the taste.

"Yeah, it's strong," Damon comments, watching Elena struggle to hold herself to together. She shouldn't have to hold herself together. She shouldn't have had to experience anything like this. She shouldn't have to remember it, either. "You know I can help you forget, too. At least, the memories you don't want to keep."

Elena looks up at Damon as he speaks, considering his offer, but quickly shakes her head. "No. No compulsion. I need to remember. All of it."

Damon listens to the strength in her voice, and he can't help but admire her. She's trying to keep it all together. She doesn't want to give up. So, he tries to help with something that should allow her to hold on to Stefan a little longer. He pulls her necklace from his pocket and holds it out to her.

"I stole it back for you."

Elena stares at the necklace that represents her love for Stefan and tears well up in her eyes. It's all gone. Everything they had together is gone. Klaus stripped everything good from her lover. The only thing left is the ripper that attacked her.

"He's really gone this time. I watched it happen. After everything we went through to get…to help him. Now, he's just…gone."

Unsure what to say, Damon lays the necklace on the end table. The ripper that Stefan becomes without his humanity is a nasty piece of work, and Damon hates that Elena had to see him. Still, a small part of him is thrilled that Elena is finally seeing the real Stefan under all that brooding, self-righteous preaching. A bigger part of Damon worries for his brother. It took Stefan half a century to recover from his last ripper binge, and the guilt weighs on the youngest Salvatore brother everyday. Damon should have been there to pull him back from the edge. Now that he's hurt Elena, Stefan will never want to flip his switch back on and he'll be stuck with the ripper douche forever.

"Where were you, Damon?" Elena whispers and his heart breaks at the pitifulness of her voice. He was being a grade A dumbass, that's where he was. Running off with Queen Slut was the stupidest decision he'd made since killing Jeremy. Never again.

"I shouldn't have left. I promise you, I will never leave you again."

Elena watches Damon vow to stay at her side and she smiles gratefully at him. She's surprised at how much his promise means to him. It comforts her more than she realizes as her tension and fear seems to ease. At least until Stefan appears out of nowhere.

"Well, isn't this cozy?"

Damon jumps up from the couch to stand between his brother and Elena. Stefan smiles like the Cheshire Cat as he leans against the stairwell post.

"What are you doing her, brother?" Damon asks warily.

"Last I checked, I live here," Stefan responds cattily while he steps forward to pour himself a drink. "Klaus is gone, but he's asked me to keep watch on you until he returns. From now on, you're under my protection."

Elena stares at him in disbelief as a small grain of fear bubbles up. She glances at Damon anxiously and silently reminds herself that Klaus needs her alive. At least, according to Caroline's call during Damon's trek back to the boarding house. Still, the emotionless Stefan gives Elena the creeps and she doesn't want him near her. Seeing Elena's reaction, Stefan grins and tips his glass to her. As he turns away to head back up stairs, he needles the couple one last time.

"By all means, carry on."

After he's disappeared up the stairs, Elenas stands from the chair, dropping her blanket, and makes a bee line for the door.

"Elena," Damon calls, but she does't slow.

"Please take me home, Damon."

Of course, Damon complies and follows her out the front door. Human Elena watches them leave and then turns to her vampire counterpart with hesitancy. Normally, she'd have so many questions, but all she can think about is what's going to happen when they return to the real world.

"Remember, grab your phone," the older doppelgänger says. Another moment later and the world shifts, melting away to reveal the Gilbert living room.

Vampire Elena still straddles human Elena with both hands pressed against her neck. Human Elena breathes heavily as the fear and pain returns. She slowly pulls her hand free and the vampire presses even harder into the wound, but not hard enough to cause damage to the nerves. The air around them starts to buzz with power again and vampire Elena curses.

"It's too soon. You have to hurry."

Human Elena fumbles through the blood that seems to cover everything in her living room. She silently hopes that most of it belongs to Lucy. Finally, Elena pulls the cell phone loose from her pocket and flips it open with one hand.

Meanwhile, vampire Elena glances around the room for anything that might prove helpful. She spots Stefan's temporarily dead body just a few feet away, but it won't be much help. Especially, after it suddenly disappears. Startled, Elena looks around to see where the body might've gone, but it's no where to be found. She would have noticed if he had woken up, but that's not what happened. One moment he's there, the next he's gone. Like someone cast a cloaking spell on him.

"Jo! Lizzie! I know you're there. Please, I need your help. She needs vampire blood or she's going to die."

Human Elena stares up at her vampire doppelgänger with growing concern. When no one answers, the vampire swears angrily and turns her gaze back to the human holding out her phone.

"Call Damon," she commands and human Elena obeys. The phone rings and she tries to hold it up to the vampire's ear, but realizes the futility of it. Two rings in and Damon answers the phone. At least, the girls dropped the black out spell, although that may be because they left rather than an act of kindness.

"Elena, I've called like ten times. Are you okay?"

"Shut up and listen," Elena barks at the phone. "I need you to drop everything and come to the Gilbert house. NOW."

"We're already on our way," Caroline says through the phone. "What's wrong?"

"It's bad," Elena admits and Damon growls into phone.

"What do you mean bad? Is the other Elena okay? Is Stefan with you?"

Before she can answer, the power buzzing all around the doppelgängers suddenly short circuits the phone and Elena drops it.

"It's okay," vampire Elena coos. "It's okay. Damon will come. He always comes."

Then, the world disappears, again.


	26. Chapter 26

AN: Merry Christmas! I'm so sorry that I missed birthday and holiday posts, but I want to thank all that reviewed and PM me. You guys are great motivators. I feel terrible for making you all wait this long, but I so appreciate your dedication. Work has been crazy. I litterally traveled so much on business this month that I was gone 2/3 of the time. To make it up to you, I'm posting THREE CHAPTERS today. YEAH!

Please review and let me know what you think. I'm concerned that I went too heavy on the memories. At this point, I think we've hit all the vital compelled memories that I needed human Elena to see before future Damon arrives. *hint, hint* I've got to get this story moving forward. I feel like it's stalling out a bit. Plus, we need some Steroline to liven this thing up. :)

PS. I know I missed some birthdays...but, I will try to make special birthday posts for any reviewers or PMs that include your birthday. Just give me a weeks notice. THANKS!

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Chapter 26

To say that Elena Gilbert is having a bad day would be the understatement of the year. First, an immortal version of her from the future shows up out of the blue. Then, she learns that her future includes multiple horrific deaths by drowning, explosion, and vampire attack. Plus, her fate is to be come a blood sucking creature of the night alongside her best friend and the two homicidal Salvatore brothers. Before tonight, she would never have lumped Stefan in with Damon and described them both as such, but today has been a very bad, no good day, and she prays that it doesn't get worse.

Climbing to her feet, Elena touches at her neck where her blood spewing gash should be. Instead, she finds smooth, undamaged skin. The pain is gone too and Elena is grateful for the reprieve. She glances around, not recognizing the small apartment. Vampire Elena walks through the small living area with a nostalgic grin and takes deep breaths to savor the odd smell in the air. She tries to touch the mess on the kitchen table, only to have her hands pass through it. Vampire Elena sighs in disappointment with a wishful expression that the younger Elena has only seen on senior citizens.

"I miss him," she whispers.

"Who? What is this place?"

"Ric," the short-haired Elena answers, closing her eyes in remembrance of her long dead father figure.

"Mr. Sultzman? What were you doing in his apartment?" Human Elena asks with a slight shade of concern.

"He kept the lease, even after he moved in with us. And, I came here when I needed time away from everyone, even after he died. I think Damon bought the building and refused to rent the apartment to anyone," Elena explains with a light chuckle. "I guess it was a good thing, since Ric moved back in after he came back."

"From the dead? Mr. Saltzman died and came back from the dead?" Human Elena repeats, and she vaguely remembers Damon mentioning something like that in the future memory of Atlanta. "Was that when Damon died and came back?"

"Sort of…" Elena begins but her memory version jerks the door open and slams it closed behind her. Tossing her stuff on the already messy table, memory Elena grabs a couple of weights and slips them onto the bar. She mumbles several curses about Stefan and Klaus as she assembles the proper weight.

"What is she doing?" Human Elena asks, surprised by her future version's desire to strength train. It's not something she ever really considered before.

"Growing stronger."

A few reps in, Damon opens the apartment door and steps in with an amused smile. He gently closes the door behind him and raises an eyebrow at the adorable brunette pumping iron.

"What? Are you going to bench press a vampire?"

"Do you understand what's happening, right now?" Elena says, struggling through her workout while Damon strolls around to stand at her head. "Stefan called me a human blood bag. He's a completely different person."

Damon shrugs in acknowledgment of the obvious. He wants to point out that maybe this is just the real Stefan that he's been hiding under the brooding hero mask, but Damon doesn't want to kick the girl while she's down. Instead, he places a hand on the bar and uses his vampire strength to prevent her from pressing it forward. She struggles against him, groaning, and squealing in frustration while he taunts her with a mischievous grin. He's always enjoyed watching her squirm.

"What are you doing?"

"Helping you out."

"Damon."

"Come on, Buffy!"

"Stop it!"

Finally, she gives up and releases the bar. He easily places it on the rack and chuckles at her exhaustion and frustration. He tries not to get distracted by the dirty thoughts running through his mind. He'd love to exhaust her in other ways and ease that frustration and tension she carries around like a bag of bricks. The day she says his name between heavy breaths from within his sheets is the day he can die a happy man.

"Like one obnoxious Salvatore isn't bad enough," Elena complains between breaths as she sits up on the bench and Damon walks to the kitchen table.

"You called. I'm here," he says, playing with one of Alaric's wooden stakes. "What's your plan, oh, Warrior Princess?"

"I want to lock Stefan up. At least until this Mikael guy comes, kills Klaus, and the compulsion breaks."

Damon's playful mood wavers just a bit at the suggestion of locking his brother up. That won't be an easy task, and he's never really been a fan of the Lexi method. Damon knows that a small part of him would feel guilty about locking Stefan up, even though his brother would probably thank him after recovering his humanity. You know, after a few decades of desiccation.

"Compulsion or not, Stefan's high on human blood. Okay? A lot of it."

"You've gotten him off of it before," Elena argues in a whining tone that Damon doesn't appreciate.

"This is different. It's not a stint in rehab, Elena. His humanity's gone. Lights out. No one's home."

"Then, do it for me, Damon," Elena begs, making Damon pause after he drops the stake back on the kitchen table.

"Every single time I look at him, I feel like I'm going to break," she explains, standing from the bench to step closer to him. "And, I'm not going to give him that satisfaction."

Damon doesn't respond immediately, opting to watch her instead. Her stubborn streak is fueling her determination to keep from falling a part. To not be that weak, little girl that Stefan attacked. She doesn't want to be a victim anymore. She can't rely on Stefan to protect her anymore and Damon can't be there all the time. Klaus proved that last night. Elena wants to protect herself rather than depend on others to keep her safe, and Damon admires her for it. When she sighs and moves to turn away, Damon grabs her hand and places it against his chest.

"What are you doing?"

"Feel that?" He asks, rubbing the small hand over his lean chest. Elena's fingers graze the skin above his low collar and both his palms encompass her hand, trapping it against him. His smooth, cool skin under her fingers unleashes millions of butterflies in her stomach and she swallows. "It's the sternum. Solid plate of bone."

Suddenly, Damon jerks her around until her back presses against the length of him. Still holding one arm, he slips his free hand inside her shirt and below her sports bra. He runs his fingers along her ribs with a delicate touch that surprises Elena and sends tingling sensations up and down her spine, sucking the breath from her lungs. With him pressed against her back and his breath against her ear, Elena wonders if his hand will slip lower to more sensitive areas. She ignores the quiet disappointment at the back of her mind when his fingers stop descending.

"Right here, just below the rib cage, next to the spine. That's your way to a vampire's heart."

Elena can barley breath under Damon's electrifying touch, never mind form words, and Damon takes a small amount of pleasure from eliciting such as response from her. Slowly, he withdraws his fingers from her hot skin, but keeps his body pressed against hers and his face in the crook of her neck so that his husky voice sends shivers across her every nerve. Yes, Damon is very good a sex, but he's also skilled in the art of distraction, and Elena needs to remember that she isn't alone against Stefan. He meant it when he promised he'd never leave her again.

"I'll do whatever it is you need me to do, Elena," Damon whispers as he slowly releases her. "No one's going to hurt you. Especially, not my brother."

Turning to face him, Elena can only stare at his tantalizing lips as he speaks. She's not sure if it's his words or his distracting proximity that seems to calm her anxiety, but she's grateful for it. Swallowing her palpable desire, Elena steps back to gulp fresh air and meet his gaze.

"Okay," she murmurs and he smirks at her.

"So, what do you want to do?"

"I, uh," Elena swallows at the suggestive question and then shakes her head to clear the fog of desire from her mind. "I think we need to regroup with Ric and Caroline."

"Sounds kinky," he says teasingly and she instinctively rolls her eyes with a big smile.

"You know what I mean."

"Yeah, yeah. I always know what you mean," Damon murmurs a little bitterly and motions for Elena to lead the way to exit. "Let's go, Buffy. Time to to slay a vampire."

"We're not slaying Stefan. We're saving him from himself."

"What about the people he's ripping? Are we doing this for them, too? Or, just Stefan?"

Elena pauses in front of the door to glare at Damon. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Oh, nothing. I'm just taking notes. I'm looking forward to giving my brother the goodie-two-shoes lecture about saving Mystic Falls from the big bad Salvatore vamp," he explains with a shrug of faux innocence. Elena tries to fight the small smile sprouting on her face by turning to open the door, but Damon spots it and takes it as a signal to carry on. "Of course, it probably won't be as eloquent as Stefan's speech to me when he locked me in the cellar. Unless _you_ help, of course. You're always giving great speeches about the good of mankind, kissing babies, and all that sickeningly sweet shit."

"I'm not going to help you taunt your brother, Damon," Elena says as they descend the stairs together.

"Why not? After all the crap he's put you through this summer? Consider it pay back…"

Two Elenas remain in Alaric's apartment as the sounds from memory Elena and Damon's conversation slowly disappear down the stairwell. Human Elena glances at her vampire counterpart as she tries to organize her thoughts. It's obvious that this memory takes place after Stefan attacks Elena, but before she turns. It seems Stefan is off the wagon, drinking human blood, and his humanity is off. It also sounds like he's still compelled by Klaus and terrorizing Elena. Is that what she should expect from her Stefan, now?

 _No, Stefan would never…_ Elena stops mid thought as she realizes the truth. _Stefan did hurt me. In this world and mine._

Tears well in Elena's eyes unbidden and she places her hands over her mouth to silence the agonizing sob. Stefan attacked her. He wasn't compelled to do it, and his humanity was intact. She knows that for certain because she saw it in his eyes just before he succumb to his bloodlust. Her boyfriend, lover, and protector…her Stefan. He would've killed her if not for future Elena. She still might die. Even now, she lies on the ground slowly bleeding to death, waiting for Damon to come save her. Because Stefan tried to eat her. How did the world get turned upside down?

Vampire Elena listens to her memory counterpart laugh at Damon's efforts to cheer her up as they descend down the stairs and close in on the exit. Since she can remember Damon has always been able to distract and comfort her, and she wonders if this is when he learned to do it. It's a skill that's served him well over the past 200 years as her husband. Elena's concern for her friends and family has and always will cause great heartache, but Damon never hesitates to do what he can to help.

With a gentle smile, future Elena glances at her younger version to find her hunched over and quietly sobbing. She rushes to the human and places a hand on her back for comfort.

"What's wrong? Are you okay?"

"No, I'm not okay," she says weakly through the uncontrolled tears. "I'm dying. We're going to go back and I'm going to die because my boyfriend tried to eat me."

"You're not going to die. Damon is on his way. He'll be here any minute."

"Ugh, I can't do this. I can't go back. It hurts too much," Elena chokes and the vampire's heart breaks for the young girl. She remembers how hard it was as a weak human, so vulnerable. She had to rely on the Salvatore brothers for so much. At this point, Elena is still just a young girl thrust into the dangerous world of vampires and werewolves. She hasn't learned to harden herself to death and danger. She hasn't faced the terror of Klaus stalking her, werewolves threatening her, Originals killing her, or the lose of every family member. She's just a normal teenager burdened with the doppelgänger curse. Honestly, vampire Elena is surprised that her human counterpart didn't crack up sooner.

"It's okay. You're just going into shock," Elena whispers as she gently places her hands on either side of the young girl's face. She looks directly into the human version of her brown eyes and speaks with the certainty of the devoted. "Damon will get here in time. He always comes when I need him."

Human Elena wants to believe her older and wiser doppelgänger, but it's hard to find her faith. Especially, after Stefan shattered it so completely. Vampire Elena sees her doubt and makes a risky decision. She closes her eyes and slowly pulls Elena's consciousness into her mind, again. She doesn't know if it will work, since they are already reliving a memory. But, maybe.

A moment later, vampire Elena opens her eyes to see human Elena glancing around in confusion. The apartment is gone, replaced by Elena's home. But, blood isn't splattered across the walls and the girls aren't lying on the ground holding on to dear life. Instead, a single pool of blood coats the hard wood floors and couch, followed by a trail from the kitchen. Vampire Elena releases the younger doppelgänger and both glance around.

When human Elena spots Jeremy's corpse on the couch, she screams and runs to him. Kneeling, she grabs at him in panic, but her hands fall through the memory.

"Jeremy! Oh my God, Jeremy. No."

"It's okay," vampire Elena says. "He'll be fine. He's wearing the family ring. He'll wake up in just a minute."

"It's not okay! He's dead. Someone killed my brother. Who did this?" Elena screams, standing from the couch to turn on the vampire. "How are we here? Why are you showing me this?"

"I didn't mean to pull this memory. I was just trying to jump to another without going back to reality. I didn't want you to suffer while we wait for Damon and Caroline."

"We're in your head, again? You didn't like it last time. I saw stuff you didn't want me to see."

"I know. I'm going to be ready this time, so I'm hoping I can stop any unwelcome memories."

"Why were those memories unwelcome? They were beautiful," human Elena asks with a concerned curiosity. Vampire Elena doesn't answer. Instead, she motions to memory Elena rushing into the living room with bloody hands. She anxiously paces back and forth across the carpet with her arms wrapped around her waist as though she were a scared child.

Finally, she vamp speeds to the door and pulls it open as Damon steps onto the porch. He barely pauses at her abrupt greeting and continues into the house.

"I see you're getting the hang of vampire hearing. So, what's this about Elena? Shouldn't you have called your boyfriend to help?" Damon mutters with no small amount bitterness as he turns to face her. She shuts the door, and he notices the dried blood on her hands.

"What happened?"

"It was an accident," she whispers to him before beckoning him into the living room.

"Woah. Elena, what did you do?" Damon asks in surprise when he sees Jeremy's lifeless body.

"You did this!?" Human Elena says with a gasps toward her future version, who glances at her apologetically.

"I didn't mean to do it. I got confused. I thought he was Conner," memory Elena explains to Damon.

"What do you mean confused? Conner's already dead. So, unless someone slipped him vampire blood before you snapped his neck, how could you possible confuse your little brother with a psychotic, supernaturally-charged vampire hunter?"

"I don't know what happened, Damon. Maybe I was sleep walking or something," Elena says, pacing again. "I can't believe this happened. What am I going to say to him?"

"Thanks for not ditching the family ring after it drove Ric crazy?" Damon offers but when Elena doesn't respond, he shrugs. "You should've called Stefan."

He looks down at Jeremy with a lack of empathy. Why is Damon here? Jeremy is going to wake up in a few minutes, back to his normal annoyingly useless self. Why is Elena so worked up? It's not like this is the first time Jeremy's died. This is like his what? Twelfth death this year alone? The kid has a frequent flyers card to the other side by now. Sure, okay, maybe it's the fact that she's the one that killed him this time. Yeah, that's definitely something that would upset Elena, but why call Damon? She should be calling Stefan. He's the boyfriend. He's the one she picked, remember? So, he should be the one doing this. He should be here calming her down, waiting with her while Jeremy wakes up, and cleaning up the mess. Instead, she called Damon. Why does he get stuck with the dirty jobs?

Why can't she call him when things are going well and she just wants to hang out. He could go for another sexy dance party with Elena. That would be fun. But, no. That type of fun is wrong and evil, but apparently killing Baby Gilbert is not. Except, when Damon does it.

 _Double standards,_ Damon grumbles silently. But, her irate declaration captures his attention.

"I don't want to talk to him. He's been lying to me, hiding things from me. He compelled Jeremy to forget God knows what."

"Well, in all fairness. I think you killing him kind of trumps that," Damon says in a cautious tone. When Elena glances at him disapprovingly for daring to argue with her, he shrugs. "Hey, you should've called Stefan."

"I don't trust him right now, Damon."

Apparently, he's stuck between the quarreling lovers and, for once, Damon is trying really hard not to piss off his brother by interfering. That's why he called him before heading over. In perfect timing, Stefan opens the front door of the house and steps inside.

"Hey," he says, making a bee line for his girlfriend. Said girlfriend looks at Damon in exasperation.

"P.S., I called Stefan," Damon says apologetically.

"What happened? Why didn't you call me?"

"I just…I need…" Elena says, pulling away from her boyfriend in annoyance. "I need to go upstairs and shower. Clean all the blood off my hands."

Elena storms from the room leaving behind Damon and Stefan to care for her brother. She's so distracted by her anger with Stefan and her confusing attack on Jeremy that she barely registers Jeremy's breath of life as she climbs the stairs. When she reaches the top, Elena spots something moving in the corner of her eye and she twirls around looking for the culprit but finds only an empty hall. The voices from downstairs pull at her attention, and she tries to push down her growing anxiety.

"She stabbed you?" Stefan asks from the living room.

"Yeah, in the neck," Jeremy answers in disbelief.

"No duh, Genius. The blood trail all over your neck and shirt is a dead giveaway," Damon sneers from the kitchen. Elena can hear him rummaging through the cupboards, probably looking for one of Ric's leftover bottles of bourbon. "Why the hell are you still wearing that ring anyway? The last thing we need is for you go psycho killer 2.0."

Human Elena glances at her future version questioningly and she just shrugs in return. "It's a long story."

"Because, without it I'd be dead. Between bombs, a thousand year old hybrid, and your compulsion," Jeremy accuses. Elena can only assume that he's talking to Stefan, now. "I have to do something to protect myself. Now, even Elena's losing her mind."

"Killing you is therapeutic. It helps calm the nerves," Damon responds snidely with a teasing tone.

"Shove it," Jeremy says with amusement.

"Just tell us what happened," Stefan demands. He's never had the patience for Elena's little brother, but he's trying not to express his frustration. Jeremy quickly describes his short and abrupt run in with Elena in the kitchen. It was obvious that she didn't recognize him when she attacked, but it still bothers Jeremy that his sister is now capable of killing another person. Killing Connor may have opened a Pandora's box for Elena, and Jeremy wishes he were able to help her.

"Killing Connor. It's obviously bothering her," Stefan says, echoing Jeremy's thoughts. "We just need to give her time to process. She'll be back to her old self soon enough."

"Her old self, huh?" Damon snaps his brother. "You think that'll just fix everything, don't you? Except, if you weren't swimming up stream in that Amazonian river you've spent half you life wading through, you'd realize that there isn't anything wrong with Elena."

"She killed a man yesterday, Damon. And, now she's killed her brother. You think that's okay?"

"I think she's doing what she has to do to stay whole. She killed Conner because he threatened to kill Jeremy and her friends. Now, she's coming to terms with that decision. It sounds like she's having a hard enough time with it without you putting more pressure on her."

"What pressure?"

"To stay the same. To not change. To not be a vampire," Damon growls.

"That's easy for you to say. You want her to change, to be more like you," Stefan says in return.

"I want her to be Elena."

"And, the real Elena wouldn't do these things."

"Except, she did. Maybe, that's why she called me and not you," Damon says smugly. He shouldn't have said it. He's supposed to be staying out of it and trying not to upset his brother. But, the self-righteousness really gets Damon's goat. Stefan needs to realize that with or without the cure, Elena is not the same woman she was when they met her.

Elena listens to Stefan stomp away from the kitchen and toward the stairwell, so she rushes into her room.

"Dude, you two got problems," Jeremy mutters from downstairs. "Come on, just one glass. I just died, man. Ric says it's okay."

"And, why would I believe that?" Damon says. "Tell you what, Baby Gilbert. You get Ric to tell you where that 1912 bottle he stole from me is hidden, and I'll be happy to share."

"Ric says, go to hell," Jeremy answers with a laugh.

"Fair enough."

Elena can't appreciate the amusing bromance downstairs because the anxiety within her seems to be growing and she can't figure out why. Taking deep breaths, she slips on her robe as Stefan enters the room. Instead of calming her as his presence used to do, Stefan's entrance seems to enrage Elena. All she can think about is his lies and the compulsion he used on her brother.

"Elena? Hey," he says, but Elena refuses to look at him, walking across the room as she tries to calm the storm of anxiety and anger swirling within her. "Listen, I know you're still upset about yesterday, and I get it. Believe me. But, just…let me help you."

"I don't want you're help, right now, Stefan," Elena grumbles.

"But, you'll accept Damon's?"

"Don't make this about Damon," Elena says angrily, whirling around to glare at her boyfriend. "You've been working with Klaus, doing God knows what, and don't insult me by trying to deny it."

Stefan shakes his head in frustration. Why can't she trust him? Why can't she just see that he's only doing what he has to do in order to save her? She seems to have no trouble trusting Damon. She's always going to him. When she couldn't eat animal blood, she went to Damon instead of Stefan. Even lied to him about it. Now, she's mad that the tables have turned?

"Listen, it's not what you think, okay?"

"I don't know what to think," Elena says disparagingly. "But, I do know that I don't want to talk to you, and I don't really want to be around you, right now.

Elena brushes past Stefan, and he reaches out for her. "Look, please, just…"

"No," Elena warns, jerking away from him for the second time today and holding her bloody hands up. "This is my brother's blood on my hands, Stefan. I stabbed him in the neck last night, so forgive me if I'm not in the mood to listen to you try and talk your way out of this."

Elena storms off and slams the bathroom shut behind her, leaving Stefan in her wake.

"Why are you mad at Stefan? You're the one that stabbed Jeremy," human Elena complains to her vampiric counterpart as Stefan sits on the bed with a frustrated sigh.

"I was hallucinating. I didn't know what I was doing. We haven't figured that out yet, but we do eventually."

Human Elena stares at her epic love as he frowns at the floor. This is the man that she loves, the man that attacked her just a few minutes earlier. Elena is about to die. She should want to sit next to him and savor what could be last time she lays eyes on him. Instead, she stands in the middle of the bedroom, perfectly still because he's the reason she's about to die. Stefan is the reason she is lying on her living room floor, bleeding to death. A sliver of fear took root deep inside Elena when Stefan ripped into her neck. It hardens within her stomach like a lead ball and she can't bring her self to step closer to him. So, she watches him. She can see the anger and annoyance etched into the lines of his face, but there is something more as he glances toward the door and toward the descending stair well. Jeremy and Damon's laughter echoes through the halls, and Stefan's expression darkens, sending a cold shiver down Elena's back and sucking the air from her lungs.

"He's jealous," vampire Elena offers. "I called Damon instead of him and he didn't like it. We got back together after his…issues with his humanity were resolved. He wasn't at war with Klaus anymore, so we were suppose to re-connect and fix our relationship. But, it wasn't that easy, I guess."

Vampire Elena watches her long haired counterpart as she speaks, hoping to judge her reaction. But, the girl didn't move or look away from Stefan. She just stares, eyes wide with heavy breaths.

 _She's in shock_ , Elena realizes. She slips closer to the human and slowly slips her arms around her. Tears fall, unbidden and unnoticed.

"It's okay. This will pass soon. It's only temporary. Just for now."

"For now…"

Human Elena repeats the phrase in a hoarse whisper as it rings familiar. Stefan said it a moment before attacking her. He said it with the same expression he wears now. A look of jealousy…

With her vampire version on her right, Elena twists to her left toward the door. Again, Damon's voice rumbles through the house as he complains about cleaning up Jeremy's bloodied mess. More tears flood down Elena's face and she whimpers. She's not stupid. She can see the connection in her mind, the two puzzle pieces fitting together perfectly. But, the concept is too alien to be truly considered by brain cells that are too overloaded and traumatized by the last 24 hours. It's too much. This is too much. He is too much.

Human Elena crumbles to the ground into sobs and whimpers, "I can't do this. I can't deal with this. I'm going to die…"

"You're not going to die," vampire Elena argues, vehemently taking the younger doppelgänger's face in her hands. "Damon will fix this. He always does."

"Always?" She asks, so hopeful and fearful at the same time.

"Always."

Suddenly, Stefan growls and jumps to his feet causing human Elena to flinch into her older self for protection. Instinctively, vampire Elena tugs the girl close and glares at Stefan for frightening her. An instant later, she remembers that he's just a memory and isn't even aware of their presence.

Stefan hustles to the door with a determine expression and raises his hand to knock. Elena's hard voice on the other side of the door stops him.

"Leave me alone, Stefan. Please." With a bitter sigh, Stefan complies and slowly shuffles down stairs.

Vampire Elena looks down at her human counterpart, huddled in her arms, and smiles gently. She shushes the girl when she tries to shift away. Instead, she holds her firmly and wipes the hair from her eyes. The soft, brown hair is nothing like the wild, red mane she's used to stroking, but the familiar act touches the vampire in an unexpected way.

"You have so much to look forward to…"


	27. Chapter 27

Chapter 27

Slowly, the memory around them fades and a bright and colorful one takes it place. When human Elena realizes that a new memory surrounds them, she slowly slips from her protectors arms and stands. Vampire Elena pauses for a moment, recovering from the loss and it's unexpected affect on her heart. But, she quickly gathers herself.

"What is this?" The young woman asks her future version.

"This is Jeremy's wedding."

"What?" Elena calls in surprise. The human's excitement in her voice and smile is contagious and the vampire laughs out loud. She motions around the foyer of Mystic Falls' church before speaking.

"It was a perfect day. And, just one of many that you have to look forward to. So, I'm not going to let you die today."

"This is your memory? I thought you didn't want me seeing them?"

"I think you need to…"

Memory Elena steps out from behind a closed door that leads to a side room and pulls out her cell phone. Her long brunette curls are pulled into a neat updo and her short burgundy bridesmaid dress flows around her knees. She presses a few buttons on her cell phone and growls quietly in frustration as she paces the length of the foyer. It takes the youngest doppelgänger a moment to realize the difference in the memory's appearance, but when she does she gasps.

"She's older. You're older in this memory. You've aged."

"I _look_ older," vampire Elena clarifies.

"Because of the rings," she agrees, finally noticing the glamor ring on memory Elena's ring finger. "You're married."

Human Elena whispers the observation and a familiar image of her and Stefan living happily ever after flashes across her mind. An image of them holding each other close with warm, happy expressions as though nothing could interfere with their happiness. For the first time, a sense of dread accompanies the image and Elena isn't sure how to register the change.

Meanwhile, memory Elena groans loudly in exasperation when her call goes to voicemail. She doesn't bother leaving another message, instead she stomps toward the door from which she came. Just as she is about to slip away, Jeremy, Tyler, Alaric, and Matt stumble through the front door in various states of undress.

"Jeremy!" Elena calls and vamp speeds to his side. "Where have you been?!"

Jeremy doesn't flinch at his sister's sudden appearance. Instead, he bends down to allow her reaching hands to correct his bow tie. He carefully slips the tuxedo jacked over his uneven cummerbund and tries to explain.

"Sorry. The bachelor party ran a little long."

"A little? You were supposed to be back hours ago! What kind of party lasts 22 hours anyway?"

"It didn't. We just hit traffic on the way back," Tyler explains.

"Traffic? Where did you go?"

"What happens at the bachelor party, stays at the bachelor party," a middle-aged Matt says seriously with a stern expression reserved for his kids. He's sporting a cut above his right eye that's already bruising.

"Whatever," Elena responds with an eye roll and rushes to fix Jeremy's cummerbund as he adjusts his sleeve cuffs. She understands how bachelor and bachelorette parties can go suddenly and extraordinarily out of control. She can't help the small smile at the reminder of her own absurdly crazy party and the ruined wedding photos of a very blond Damon. As much a he complained about it, Damon was able to pull it off. Sort of. Speaking of which, where is her husband?

"Where's Damon?" She asks looking around the group of mostly dressed men.

"Uh, he uh," An aging Ric starts, but hesitates as he looks around in confusion. "Oh, I don't know. We were kind of in a hurry. I'm sure he'll show up."

"What do you mean? He was supposed to be with you guys."

"He was," Tyler says. "And, then he wasn't"

"He's Damon. He doesn't exactly tell us his plans, Elena," Matt adds.

"It's fine. How do I look?" Jeremy asks, pulling Elena's attention back to his appearance. She sighs at him with a bitter sweet expression.

"You look so grown up. I wish…"

"I know," he says with his own bitter sweet smile. He wraps his massive arms around Elena and squeezes tight. "I wish they were here, too."

"They'd be so proud of you," she whispers through tears of joy, sorrow, and hope.

"Hey!" A light voice with a heavy Latin accent bellows from the side door into the foyer. Elena's mood immediately sours at the sound of the maid of honor's yelling. How can such a tiny person be so annoying? Before Jeremy notices the change in her demeanor, Elena throws on a fake smile and swirls around to greet Maria.

"We start in five minutes, you should already be in your spots," Maria chastises Jeremy and his groomsmen. As they shuffle obediently into the small room opposite of the bridesmaids, she catches Tyler by the arm. "Best man."

"Tyler," he offers with his own annoyed expression. "We've met like five times."

"I don't care about your name. I care about the rings. Do yo have them?"

"Of course," he says, patting the pocket of his jacket.

"Good, don't lose them. Nothing can go wrong today."

"Right."

Maria watches Tyler frown at her and then disappear into the groomsmen's room before turning back to Elena. "We are short one groomsman. Where is he?"

"I'm here," Stefan says, poking his head through the main church door and closing it behind him. He no longer looks like the eternal teenager with his filled in features and laugh lines. Instead, he looks like a very attractive man in his early thirties, thanks to the spelled wedding ring on his left hand.

"You are not Damon Salvatore," Maria argues.

"But, I am a Salvatore," he smiles broadly, but Elena can see the strain behind it. "Unfortunately, my brother has been detained. He won't arrive in time and doesn't want to cause a delay."

"He won't. I won't allow it. You will do. Elena, please explain Mr. Salvatore's new duties and responsibilities. I must check on Julie," Maria commands and turns back toward the bridesmaids' room.

"How is she?" Elena asks, nerves seem to stir butterflies in the depths of her stomach. She preys that Jeremy chose well. That Julie will love and cherish her little brother as he should be. Elena met the girl a few months ago and two years into her relationship with Jeremy. As much as it bothered Elena that Jeremy waited so long for the introduction, she understood.

Julie was vampire hunter, raised by a family of vampire hunters. She'd met Jeremy on a hunting trip that turned sour. He showed up with skills beyond even their most seasoned hunters and swept Julie off her feet. It took a while for Jeremy to approach the subject of his family's vampire status, even more so for Julie to accept and agree to keep the secret from her family. Orchestrating a wedding this size that's filled with vampire hunters and handful of vampires was not easy. Especially, since Julie's best friend and maid of honor insisted on planning the entire thing. Elena isn't sure if Maria knows the big family secret, or if she's unpleasant to everyone. But, the big smile that breaks apart Maria's sour puss, softens Elena's impatience with the woman.

"She's very excited. And, I will be happy to see her and Jeremy finally be together as man and wife."

"Me, too," Elena says with a nod.

"Who is that?" Stefan asks as soon as Maria is gone.

"That is Julie's best friend. She's…a bit much."

"We should probably keep her as far from Caroline as possible," Stefan says with a soft smile and a glance toward the big church door. On the other side, over a hundred people and his wife wait for the ceremony to begin.

"Is she still upset that she wasn't asked to plan the wedding?"

"Yep."

"I'm surprised she isn't stomping around telling people what to do anyway," Elena says with a giggle.

"I sat her next to Bonnie and little Rudy. I'm pretty sure they can keep her busy until the wedding starts."

"Isn't he adorable? He's so funny, too," she says, walking Stefan towards the groomsmen's room.

"Yeah, he's getting big, too. Vivi is practically grown."

"I know. She's the spitting image of Bonnie at her age. We've missed so much. That's why I'm glad that we're moving back. It's time, especially with Jeremy and Julie returning. It's just something we need to do." Elena ends in a whisper as though speaking to herself rather than the youngest Salvatore brother.

"Elena," Stefan says, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder. "It's definitely the right thing to do. Bonnie only has one lifetime, so it's important that you and Caroline, and even Damon, be here to enjoy the time you have with her. The Salvatores are moving back to Mystic Falls."

"You're right. Of course, you are," Elena agrees with a nod. "I just…I don't know…I'm just so happy, right now."

"Isn't that good thing?"

"Are you happy, Stefan? I mean really happy?" She asks suddenly and Stefan pauses at the odd question, but answers confidently.

"Yes. More so than I've been at any other point in my life. I can't imagine anything better."

"So am I. Since we all left this town behind, we've been happy. Caroline is living the dream with her _husband_ ," Elena says playfully and locking her arm with Stefan's. He blushes with a soft chuckle. "…and traveling the world. Ric and Jo just had their fourth child. Bonnie and Matt found out yesterday that they're having another boy. My practice is doing really well. And, Damon…"

"Do you not want to come back?" Stefan interrupts, confused by Elena's obvious anxiety.

"No, that's not it at all. I really want to be here. I'm just scared, I guess."

"Despite what Damon says, Mystic Falls is not cursed. Our lives will not fall a part the moment we move back here.

"He can be pretty convincing sometimes," Elena admits with an edge of uncertainty, but she shakes it off. "Where is he anyways? He didn't answer any of my calls."

"All I know is what he texted me. 'Cleaning up a mess. Need you to fill in for me at the wedding. Tell Elena I'm sorry.'"

"He couldn't have just texted me directly?" Elena mutters with an aggravated frown. "I don't know what's going on with him. Have you spoken to him?"

"No, not since we got back."

Elena huffs in annoyance at her husband's recent behavior. They arrived in Mystic Falls less than a week ago in preparation of the wedding, and since then Damon has been distant and down right aggravating at times. They discussed moving back to Mystic Falls several times over the past few months and, although Damon held out for as long as possible, he finally agreed to move. They were supposed to look at real estate for her pediatric practice and a new house tomorrow, but given Damon's sudden disappearing act, Elena suspects it won't go as planned. Instead, she'll probably be dealing with the aftermath of one of Damon's self-destructive warpaths. Elena silently hopes that her husband doesn't call Enzo. That man is the worst influence on the oldest Salvatore brother.

It's been years since Damon lost his cool and divulged in a murder spree, and Elena is confident that her husband won't spiral that far, but she's also certain that he's struggling with something. Something that he doesn't want her help with. Elena hoped that he'd turn to Stefan for help, but alas that doesn't seem to be the case. As loving and affection as Damon is with her, it's infuriating how uncommunicative he can be when he's trying to work through difficult emotions. No matter how many times Elena tries to start a conversation about what might be bothering him, Damon somehow manages to avoid it. He's rarely confrontational about it; he just shrugs or makes an inappropriate joke. Once, he just walked out of the room without saying anything. Who does that?!

It doesn't matter, right now. The only thing that matters is Jeremy and his bride. Elena's little brother is getting married today and nothing is going to dampen that joy and excitement.

"Whatever, Damon is Damon, and we will figure it out, eventually," Elena says, shaking her head to clear her thoughts. "Thank you for filling in."

"Of course," Stefan says with a beaming smile. "I'd never pass up the chance to walk you down the aisle."

Elena giggles at the joke, but stops suddenly when Maria barges out of the brides maids' room with a determine expression. Quickly, the small Latin woman walks across the foyer and pushes past Elena and Stefan to reach the groomsmen's door between them. She beats on it roughly until Ric opens it with a frown.

"What the hell?"

"It is time. Line up. You know your places," she demands and then abruptly turns back to the bridesmaid's door to swing it open as well. The groomsmen and bridesmaids pile into the foyer along with the cutest little six year old in the world. Vivi makes a bee line for Elena and stops in front of her to pose in her flower girl dress.

"How do I look, Aunt Ellie?"

"Beautiful!" Elena assures her as she bends down to straighten a bow in the young girls hair. Vivi is the perfect blend of Matt an Bonnie with her dark completion, dimpled smile, and vivacious attitude. Elena is sorry that she's missed so much of the six year old's life. Birthday parties and holidays just aren't enough any more. Certain more than ever that moving back to Mystic Falls is the right thing, Elena hugs the child.

"Where's Uncle Damon?" Vivi asks.

"Sorry, baby. He's not going to make it," Matt answers as he shuffles close to Elena and Stefan in the crowded foyer. Vivi looks at her father with a practiced pout that tugs at the strings attached to Matt's heart.

"Who's going to walk Aunt Ellie down the aisle? She can't do it alone!"

"Don't worry, your Uncle Stefan has volunteered. He'll keep me company," Elena assures her.

"Uncle Stefan?" Vivi frowns at the name and then at the youngest Salvatore brother appraisingly. "I guess you'll do."

Elena can't contain the laughter bubbling up at the young girl's antics as Matt sighs in slight embarrassment. Stefan raises his eyebrows with an amused expression and nods his head.

"Do you like my flowers?" Vivi asks, holding up her basket of colorful petals.

"I think they're pretty, just like you."

Vivi smiles big at the compliment and blushes before Maria interrupts by snapping her fingers loudly.

"Suck up," Elena whispers to Stefan as Maria instructs them in the proper line up order as though anyone could've forgotten it after three rehearsals. Stefan chuckles and offers his arm to Elena as they watch the church doors open and Jeremy walk down the aisle with the priest. Soon, every groomsman walks his own bridesmaid down to join the groom. During her turn, Elena smiles proudly at her little brother and fights back tears of joy. She listens to the vows made by the young couple and remembers her own to Damon. At one point, she glances around the room in search of her husband to no avail. Instead, she notices Stefan staring at his wife.

A thirty-one year old Caroline has her long, blonde hair down in curls around her shoulders in a flowery sun dress. She's too distracted by the two year old Rudy sitting in her lap to notice her husband's attention. She smiles at the young child and whispers to him to make him giggle. Bonnie sits to the left of Caroline with a hand on her small baby bump and a fond expression for her husband. Matt stands at the alter next to Tyler with Vivi at his feet, holding both her hands. She squirms as only a six year old can and swings against his strong arms. Eventually, he relents and picks his daughter up to cradle her in his arms. Vivi lies her head against his chest to listen to his heartbeat, and this little ritual keeps her attention for the duration of the ceremony until it's time for her to throw flowers down the aisle again.

Human Elena watches her little brother kiss his bride and then walk her outside under a shower of rice. She watches with a sense of bitter sweet joy and tears in her eyes.

"Thank you," she whispers to her vampire counterpart. The older doppelgänger nods and turns away from the memory to face the human and gasps. Human Elena is pale and shaky with a hand to her neck. She tires to step forward only to stumble and fall. Vampire Elena catches her and lies her gently on the ground. Blood pools from human Elena's grip on her neck.

"This can't be happening! This isn't real!"

"The memory strike is wearing off," human Elena whispers. "I can feel the pain, again. Argh! It hurts."

"It's okay. Damon is on his way," the vampire reminds the fragile human. The memory around them fades and Elena's living room returns. Katherine's grey body reassembles against the hall wall, Lucy's headless corpse lies next to the couch, the walls are still covered in blood splatter, and Elena's warm pool of blood surrounds the girls.

"Not enough time…"

"There is!" Vampire Elena argues and glances at the clock on the wall. Only 8 minutes since the attack. "There's still time! Damon will be here. He's always here when I need him."

With blood pooling from her neck and her future vampire self staring into her tear-filled eyes, Elena just can't understand what seems like blind faith in the eldest Salvatore brother. And, her blood deprived brain won't allow her to think about anything else.

"Why?"

"Shhh, you shouldn't speak. Just stay calm."

"Why do you believe in him? Why do you trust him?"

"Because, he's Damon," vampire Elena tries to explain as she presses harder into the neck wound. "He's always there."

"Not…" The human pauses as a wave of nausea from the blood loss hits her. A moment later, it passes and she tries again. "Not at the the wedding."

"The wedding?"

"Jeremy's wedding…wasn't there…"

"He was there. He just wasn't there, there," vampire Elena tries to explain, glancing at the clock again. _Come on, Damon. Please._

"I don't…I don't understand," she whispers weakly, barely able to place her fingers against the arms tamponing her life blood. "Show me….please, help….help me…understand…"

 _I just want to understand._

As wind begins to swirl around them, vampire Elena stares at her counterpart for only a moment before nodding in agreement. It's time. It's time to tell her the truth. Or, show her.

Human Elena watches her living room disappear and wonders if it will be the last time she ever sees it. When the pain in her neck eases, she takes a deep breath and glances at her vampire counterpart standing a few feet away. A hundred guests mingle throughout the boarding house in their wedding attire.

"We're back…This is the reception?"

"You want to understand, so I'm going to show you. I'm going to show you why I know for certain that Damon will be here in time to save you…"

"He didn't save you," human Elena interrupts with a gentle glance. It wasn't an accusation, but an observation. "You died, several times. He didn't save you, and maybe he won't save me either."

Vampire Elena pauses at the comment. She isn't sure how to respond. The girl has a point. If Damon is her savior, why has she died so many times? The answer was simple.

"Each time I died, it was because I chose to die."

"What?!"

"I chose to let Klaus sacrifice me so he wouldn't kill my family and everyone I cared for, like he did to Katherine. I refused to run and be like her. I don't remember the details, but I know that Damon nearly died trying to stop that sacrifice. He saved Caroline and got his first werewolf bite for it."

"That's why Stefan needed the cure. That's why he left with Klaus," human Elena mumbles, connecting the dots.

"I don't remember the night I burned, but I know that I chose to die to help Damon save Mystic Falls. I also know that Damon died that night, too. And, he was supposed to be resurrected along with me and everyone else. But, he and Bonnie…"

"They didn't make it," human Elena whispers softly.

"And, the night I turned, that was my choice, too. Not to turn, but to die. Matt and I were trapped in his truck and the water was everywhere. There wasn't time to save us both, so I told Stefan to save Matt. I had no idea that I had Damon's blood in my system. He wasn't even in town and he still saved me."

"Damon's blood turned you?" Human Elena repeats and her vampire counterpart nods. The young doppelgänger drops her head, taking in everything and trying desperately to give her blood siphoned brain a chance to shift its perception of Damon. It's like someone took the tiny box of index cards labeled 'Damon' inside Elena's brain, opened it, and threw all the cards on the ground in a giant mess. Then, that jackass of a person told her brain to reorganize the box, but turned off all the lights and fried half her braincells so she's operating at half speed. As each card slips neatly back into the box, Elena finds that it's changing. Each card alters the color, texture, size, or placement of the box. Slowly, the box…Damon…becomes something different.

So engrossed in her internal struggle, Elena doesn't notice Caroline dragging Stefan out onto the dance floor with far too much PDA than appropriate. Matt and Tyler laugh loudly at Jo's story about Ric and one of the twins' new boyfriend, while he shrugs sheepishly. Bonny dances playfully with little Rudy on the outskirts of the group, holding her phone up to record her toddler's hilarious dance moves. The struggling doppelgänger also doesn't notice memory Elena dancing with Jeremy, sporting the biggest and brightest smile until a noise in Damon's room catches the vampire's attention. At the end of the song, Elena thanks her brother before making a bee line for back bedroom.

By now, the 'Damon' box within human Elena's mind no longer fits in it's original place, and she's too tired to try and force it. Instead, she looks at vampire Elena and speaks in a tone that's heavy with hidden meaning.

"Damon?"

Vampire Elena watches her counterpart warily. She isn't sure what she's asking, but senses the importance of her answer. So, she just stares back questioningly silent.

"Damon, not Stefan?" Human Elena repeats and her vampire version nods slowly in confirmation.

"Damon, not Stefan."

Human Elena sucks in a breath at the confirmation, but doesn't have time to process the answer before a tiny voice demands her attention.


	28. Chapter 28

AN: Does anyone have an image they'd recommend for this story cover? PM if you do. THANKS!

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Chapter 28

"Uncle Damon, you're late." Elena pauses outside Damon's door at the sound of Vivi's voice inside. "Mommy says you're in trouble."

Damon scoffs at the comment and Elena smiles at the dismissive scowl she imagines flitting across her husband's face. She leans against the door, interested in the odd conversation.

"Bon-Bon doesn't scare me," he says in an overly confident tone so as to elicit a giggle from the little girl. It sounds like Damon is in his large walk-in closet wrestling with a change of clothes, while Vivi prances around his bathroom, probably touching things. "The thought of missing out on the chance to wear a tux, now that's scary."

"You like to play dress up?"

"Only when I look good. And, I always look good in a suit."

"Mommy likes the way Daddy looks in a suit, too. She told him last night. I heard her."

"Yeah, I guess the Sheriff looks good, too," Damon mutters. Suddenly, Vivi pauses in the bathroom and Elena wonders what's happened. She almost reaches for the door nob, but stops when Vivi finally shouts from the bathroom.

"Don't forget your ring!" Vivi rushes from the bathroom into the bedroom and Elena assumes she's holding one of Damon's rings. "Is that Mommy's glamor ring?"

"Yep," Damon says as he shuffles to join Vivi in the bedroom. "And, thank you."

Vivi giggles and escapes back into the bathroom while Damon huffs at the girls behavior and continues his wok in the closet. "Does your mother know that you're in here bothering me?"

"I'm not bothering you. You love me!" She argues playfully, but suddenly gasps loudly. Both Elena and Damon rush into the bathroom to investigate the concerning sound. Damon is first and earns an armful of Vivi as she crashes into him with a fearful squeal. He jerks her off the floor into the safety of his arms and spins around in search of a threat, only to find Elena at his back reaching for Vivi.

"What happened?" Damon asks, confused and greatly concerned. He shifts away from Elena as she reaches for the small girl in his hands, afraid that something or someone may do them harm. Vivi wiggles against the uncomfortable grip Damon has on the young girl. He's tucked her up under his arm as though protecting a football.

"Uncle Damon," she complains.

"I don't know. Let me check her," Elena says impatiently. Damon can tear the house apart looking for the culprit that might do Vivi harm, but Elena's main concern is treating the harm. She's a doctor, and a damn good one. Right now, her husband is getting in the way of that and possibly making things worse.

"What are you doing? Don't you know how to hold a child? Give her to me."

Realizing what's being asked, Damon hands the young girl off to his wife. Vivi whimpers as Elena sets the girl on the bed and examines her for injury.

"Vivi, are you okay?" Elena asks in a gentle tone and the young girl nods her head.

"What happened?" Damon asks from behind his wife.

"There was blood," Vivi murmurs quietly with a glance toward the bathroom and Damon groans.

"Blood?" Elena asks, standing straight to look at her husband. He rolls his eyes and tugs on the sleeves of his half buttoned dress shirt.

"My clothes from the party. I put them in the hamper," he supplies.

"Why do they have blood on them?"

Damon just shrugs with a knowing smirk and Elena huffs, but bites her tongue. He motions toward the small child on his bed, then steps back into this closet to finish dressing. Elena shakes her head at the oldest Salvatore. Children have always made him uncomfortable. While he's taken a special shine to Bonnie's kids, that fondness only goes so far. Although he hasn't admitted it, Elena suspects that Damon just doesn't know how to behave around them or care for them properly. And, when Damon's uncomfortable or anxious, his walls go up. Vivi has an intuitive gift for break through those walls, sometimes. Right now, her gift doesn't seem to be working well. Elena squats at the foot of the large bed, so as to speak with Vivi on her level.

"Baby, it's okay. I'm sorry that you saw that."

"Is Uncle Damon okay?" Vivi asks with a small sniffle.

"Of course, he is."

"But, the blood…"

"Did you forget already?" Damon asks from inside the closet. "Vampires can't get hurt. You're stuck with me forever."

"Mommy says vampires don't grow up."

"That's right," Elena confirms. "We also can't stand day light."

"That's why you have a day light ring!" Vivi squeals. "It makes you different from other vampires."

"Yep," Damon agrees as he slips from the closet almost completely dressed. His tie needs attention along with his sleeve cuffs, but first his shoes. "We are way better than other vampires. Sexier, too."

Elena shakes her head playfully at her husband's antics and swats him on the shoulder as he sits next to Vivi to slip on his shoes. He smiles and bounces his eyebrows suggestively at Elena.

"Mommy also gave you a ring that makes you look older. Why? What do you do with it?"

"I look older. Duh."

Vivi huffs at the answer and whines, "Aunt Ellie."

"You're mother has been one of my best friends since we were your age. She's also the most power witch alive. She created something that no one thought was possible. Then, she did it three more times."

"She gave one to you and Uncle Damon and Uncle Stefan and Aunt Caroline! So, you could all grow up with her!"

"Exactly," Damon confirms in an amused tone as he tugs on his cuffs.

"Pssst. Can I tell you a secret?" Vivi whispers, not so quietly, to Damon and he stops fighting his cuff to look at her.

"Sure," he says, mimicking her stage whisper.

"You look better without the ring."

Elena laughs out loud as Damon's face twists into an expression of pain and horror. "Ow! That's just mean."

Vivi giggles and runs out of the bedroom and back into the party. Damon doesn't watch her leave, instead he's stalks to the bathroom to stare at his reflection while Elena loses her mind with laughter against his bedsheets. He shifts his face from to side to side, searching for flaws. Small lines around his eyes and on his forehead scream at him, but not as much as the small flecks of grey in the hair around his ears. It seems that had Damon not turned at the sexy age of 25, he'd have started greying before he reached 40. He closes his eyes and tilts his head back in exasperation.

 _It's not real. It's just a spell. It's not real. It's just a spell,_ he chants silently to himself, glancing at the glamour ring on his left hand. Why is he doing this? Why on earth would he where a magic ring that makes him look old and less attractive? It's madness! The giggles from his bedroom answer his questions and tug a smile free. He opens his eyes, turning toward the dying laughter, and strolls to the bathroom entrance. He leans against the doorframe to watch his wife catch her breath, enjoying the heaving motion of her breasts in the tight bridesmaid's dress.

Elena lies on the bed in a heap with her long, dark hair falling from her updo and cascading all around her. Exhausted from the intense laughter, she shifts to her side so as to meet Damon's gaze across the room. The small smile on his lips and sparkle in his ice blue gaze makes her heart flutter. She enjoys the surge of love and gratefulness that washes over her. This man has given her everything she's ever wanted. Well, almost everything. Everything within his power, definitely. This man loves her and she loves him.

 _Forever and for always,_ Elena recites to herself, remembering the vows a very blonde Damon made. She stands from the bed and shuffles to him with a tantalizing expression that makes Damon's heart skip a beat and then shift into high gear, pumping blood to lower places. On the outside, Damon just watches his little minx as she stops an inch or two from his chest and smiles fondly at him. She lifts a hand to gently run through his hair, caressing his cheek with her thumb. Damon almost closes his eyes to enjoy the feel of her fingers on him, but he doesn't get the chance when Elena speaks.

"Are you happy, Damon?"

Damon's smile turns crooked and his gaze sultry. "I can think of a few ways to make this day better."

"I don't mean just today," Elena admonishes playfully, enjoying the attention from her husband "I mean in general, are you happy?"

Damon frowns at the question, caught off guard by the half hazardous way she's approached the subject. He knows Elena well enough to sense that the question means more to her than she's letting on.

"Why are you asking?"

"Because, I am. These past few years have been wonderful. No one's died. No one's threatened the world, or attempted to kill everyone we love…"

"Except for the occasional vengeful vampire, it's been down right normal."

"Exactly," Elena agrees with a grateful smile, then hesitates. "Now we're all moving back to Mystic Falls and…"

"And?" Damon asks, uncertain where his bride is going with this.

"And, you've barely spoken to me!" Elena answers, throwing her hands up in exasperation and turning away. Why is he being so difficult? Damon knows how he's been acting toward her. Did he not think she'd notice?

"I've been busy," he shrugs nonchalantly which just aggravates Elena even more.

"With what? Why did you miss my brother's wedding?"

"I didn't miss the wedding. I'm here. I'm late, but I'm here," Damon argues, standing from his position against the door frame. "Frankly, I'm surprised this wedding hasn't gone up in flames, considering how many guests are packing wooden bullets."

"You missed the ceremony. This is the reception."

"Still part of the wedding, and the least boring party anyway."

"Damon," Elena growls in frustration. She stalks away from him just to turn around and glare at him. He watches Elena stick her arms on her hips angrily and stare at him expectantly. Damon knows that he needs to stop needling her or he'll be sleeping on the couch tonight. But, he really doesn't want to talk about it. Why does she insist on discussing their feelings all the time? Why can't he just go to the bar, sit silently next to Ric like the old times, and drink until everything feels fuzzy? Eventually, the emotions and feelings just go away. Except, he knows they never really do.

He used to bury them under blood and death, but they never went away unless he flipped his switched. Even then, they'd eventually wiggle back into his heart and usually with a vengeance. Now a days, he isn't allowed to self destruct. He has to behave like a grown man and process his feelings normally. Which sucks. He wants to lash out and destroy things and the people around him because it used to make him feel better, even for just a moment. But now, the collateral damage hurts him way more than he'd like to admit.

If he falls off the murderous wagon, Damon risks destroying everything. He knows Elena loves him and will love him no matter what, but he also knows that he needs her to be happy. He certainly can't be the one to destroy her happiness. So, he has to do everything he can to keep it together. Even if the weight of his responsibilities seems unbearable.

"Elena, I'm trying here. I'm trying to keep it together."

"I know you are, I just don't know why. Why are you struggling? Damon, please tell me what is bothering you."

"The Salvatores are moving back to Mystic Falls," he answers as thought that explains everything. Elena looks at him with a baffled expression.

"I don't understand. I thought you agreed to move back. Are you saying that you don't want to do it anymore? And, what does that have to do with missing Jeremy's wedding?"

"I didn't miss the…"

"The ceremony, whatever," Elena snaps, folding her arms over her chest.

"What happens at the bachelor party, stays at the bachelor party."

"Damon!" She growls, again. "You show up late wearing blood, but you don't want to tell me what happened? What if one of Julie's family members found the clothes? Tell me what's going on."

Damon frowns deeply at his wife, but not because he doesn't want to explain. It's because he can't figure out how to do it. How can he explain the anxiety that's been building since setting foot in this God forsaken town, the vortex of doom? How can he explain how close he came to loosing everything last night? The only way Damon knows how, bluntly.

"I almost lost everything last night," he admits, walking to the bed and slumping down on to his back. He stares at the ceiling, feeling his wife's eyes on him. She doesn't say anything, so he continues.

"Tyler planned one last hurrah for Jeremy. He and Julie both agreed to quit vampire hunting after the wedding. So, Tyler planned a quick hunt as the bachelor party. Wolf boy did a decent job. He'd already scouted the area and pin pointed the 'nest'."

Damon said the word 'nest' with air quotes and Elena scowls. They both hated the term used by Julie's family to describe a group of vampires. The Salvatores certainly don't 'nest' anywhere.

"According to Tyler, two vampires were hiding out in an abandoned house on the other side of Whitmore. We went in and took down both vampires. Easy peasy. Until a third one showed up out of nowhere. He went for Matt first, but Jeremy, the vampire slayer, saved the day."

"So, everyone was fine," Elena says soothingly as she steps closer to the bed and her husband. "I'm definitely not happy about Tyler's choice of bachelor parties, but it sounds like everything worked out. Matt got a little scratch, the bad vampires were stopped…they were bad vampires, right?"

"Yes," Damon answers with a small chuckle. "They were blood sucking, murderous monsters that terrorized Whitmore college for three whole day before we stopped them."

"It sounds like everything worked out."

"Except, after we buried the bodies, I found trails from two more vampires."

"So?"

"So, even when Stefan was in his douchiest ripper phase if anyone killed him, I would have hunted them down and ripped their hearts out."

"You think they might want revenge?" Elena asks, suddenly concerned for the safety of her family. How many times had vampires shown up on their doorstep over the past few years looking for revenge on Damon or Stefan for some nefarious past deed? At least half a dozen. Vengeful vampires are usually easy to put down, but sometimes the collateral damage is enough for Elena to take pause. She's lost one receptionists and a nurse to said vampires. already. Usually, they are compelled or seduced into helping the enemy, so Elena has taken to spiking every beverage stored in the company fridge. She'll be damned if she loses another staff member. It's hard enough dealing with the loss of a coworker, but if a vengeful vampire threatened her family, all hell would break loose.

"Maybe," Damon answers, glancing down from the ceiling to meet her gaze. "So, I cleaned up the mess."

"You tracked them down?"

"Yep," he says, sitting up. "And, I took care of it."

"That's why you're late. And, why you had blood on your clothes," Elena murmurs. The dots slowly connect and she recognizes the sacrifice Damon made. He missed the wedding, or at least the ceremony, knowing that Elena wouldn't be happy about it; he did it to protect their family. Elena slips in close to Damon while he remains seated and wraps her arms around his neck. He leans into her so that the length of her body presses against him, and he entangles his arms around her waist. She stares at him and smiles at his goofy grin.

"Thank you," she whispers. He shrugs like it's no big deal and moves in for a kiss. Just before their lips touch Elena pulls back suddenly.

"Wait!"

"What?" He whines, throwing himself back against the sheets in exasperation. He was so close not having to discuss his feelings. But alas, Elena can see right through his distractions sometimes. And, he's genuinely bummed about not getting a kiss from his lady.

Elena stifles a chuckle at his pouting. She didn't mean to tease him; she just remembered something that needs to be address right away, otherwise she'd never get a straight answer from her lover. He's far too good a distracting her.

"You haven't explained your behavior since returning to Mystic Falls."

"Yes, I did," he says with a scowl. "It's not my fault that you weren't paying attention."

Elena scoffs at her husband's typical deflection and decides on a gentler approach. Still standing between his legs that hang over the side of the bed, she places both hands on his knees softly and whispers.

"Damon."

Recognizing her imploring tone, he sits up to face her brown doe-eyes and sighs in resignation. With one word, she makes Damon feel safe and loved. Like he can tell her anything and she will understand, better yet, she'll make the pain go away. No other woman has or ever will make him feel this way. He knows that he doesn't deserve her; we never will. But, he'd do whatever it takes keep her happy with him.

"I need you to be happy, Elena."

"I already told you. I am happy," she responds in confusion.

"But, I need you to stay happy."

"And, you're worried I won't be happy in Mystic Falls?"

When he nods, Elena sucks in a breath of relief and places a hand on his face soothingly. This she could handle. He just needs some reassurance.

"Damon, my family is here. Bonnie and her family is here. Soon, I'll have my practice here…"

"Your practice isn't what makes you happy, Elena," Damon interrupts in a frustrated voice and brushes past her to return to his place agains the door frame. The distance from her gave him a shield against the emotions she was stirring up.

"What do you mean? I love practicing medicine," Elena responds, stunned at his behavior.

"But, if you lost your practice tomorrow, you'd be okay," Damon explains with roll of his shoulders. "You'd fly to Africa to help sick little munchkins there for a while. You'd be okay."

Elena smiles at his assessment. What can she say? He's right. In fact, she's often thought about committing a month or two at time to helping kids in third world countries, but she's the only doctor at her practice, right now. Maybe, when she finds a partner?

"Then, what makes me happy, Damon?" She asks, enthralled by his understanding of her.

"Your friends and family," he answers simply.

"Which is why I'll be happy in Mystic Falls," she implores, stepping forward to grab his hands.

"Yeah, you'll be happy. It'll be perfect. Until it's not. Until Baby Gilbert decides he just has to play vampire hunter one more time and gets his throat ripped out."

Elena pauses at his harsh words, instinctively dropping his hands. Damon doesn't blame her. He looks away as he continues to give words to his fears.

"Or, Sherif Quarterback pulls over the wrong car and Bon-Bon's left a widow with three kids. You think she won't do everything she can to bring him back? Probably get herself killed in the process."

Elena places a hand over her mouth and shakes her head, but Damon doesn't see her. He runs his hands over his face as he continues to voice the crazy situations with which is imagination plagues him.

"Or, Ric steps between Jo and her crazy coven one too many times and ends up a burnt crisp or a tiny smushed bug or however witches kill people," Damon says, throwing his hands up in the air.

"Damon, stop it," Elena whispers. He's digging up her nightmares and throwing them at her. Damon finally turns back to her to find tear filled eyes. Guilt claws at his heart as he reaches for her. She presses into his warm embrace, reveling in the protection that he offers.

"Elena, this is Mystic Falls. There's only so much that I can do to keep the bad things out," Damon says with a heavy sigh. With her face to his chest, Elena can feel the beat of his heart, but more than that she can hear the concern in his voice. She suddenly understands everything; Everything he's said and everything he hasn't. She smiles as her love for this man swells.

"So, you're worried that something will happen to your friends and family," she states, pulling away enough to look Damon in the eye. He, of course, sneers at the accusation.

"No, I just want you to be happy," he argues. "And, keeping these idiots safe, keeps you happy."

"Because, Damon Salvatore doesn't have any friends."

"Exactly."

Elena's smile falls slightly as she slips her hands on both sides of her husband's face and stares into his deep blue eyes with every ounce of sincerity she can muster.

"What your feeling is normal, Damon. Humans are fragile. But you have to remember that it's not just on you to protect this weird little family of ours. I am here. Stefan is here. I bet even Caroline will pitch in every once in a while," she says the last part with a smile that earns an eye roll from Damon. "We will keep everyone safe."

"Without letting on to Julie's family that we're vampires? 'Cause that's going to be a whole different kind of mess," Damon mutters.

"We'll cross that bridge when we get there."

"Oh, look at you, making bridge jokes now," Damon teases.

Elena watches Damon and her memory version laugh and hold each other close. She can see a difference in memory Elena and herself. She wants to be as happy and carefree as this Elena seems to be. She can also see the love and passion in her eyes. Something that was missing in the future memories with Stefan. Elena focuses just on Damon and tries desperately to see him from memory Elena's perspective. If only she could see through her future version's eyes.

Vampire Elena smiles at memory of her husband trying to come to terms with his attachment to so many people. It's as though he collected them over the years without realizing it. Then, one day he looked around and realized how much he had to lose. Moving to Mystic Falls seemed to be the catalyst because everything bad that ever happened to them happened in Mystic Falls; and that would prove true for centuries. Elena wonders if Damon was right all those years ago. Maybe, things would've been different had they stayed away from the vortex of doom that is Mystic Falls.

Vampire Elena glances at her human counterpart to find her frowning in thought before suddenly gasping in pain. Human Elena stumbles, but the vampire catches her.

"Are you okay?" Vampire Elena asks, trying to maintain her concentration on the memory and keep a firm hold on the human's life line in reality. If her grip on Elena's throat slips, the young girl would die within seconds. But, something was happening in the real world; someone was pushing her aside and forcing her away from the dying doppelgänger. Vampire Elena tries to pull them out of the memory but the magic of the strike won't release them.

Human Elena's mind swims with the pain of Stefan's attack and the confusion of her future. She can barely breath through it all. Then, someone speaks.

"Elena," he says, concern etched in every syllable.

Elena looks up from the ground to see memory Damon's face close to her own. He has his arms around her as though she were memory Elena. She stares into his ice blue eyes sparkling with the unmasked joy and framed by a goofy grin. She suddenly realizes that she's never seen her Damon smile like that, only in the memories. And, not the lost memories, but the ones future Elena hides from her.

 _Damon's happy in the future,_ she realizes and something tight within her chest loosens.

Suddenly, Damon's face twists into an expression of fear and concern. "Elena, can you hear me?"

Elena isn't standing any longer. Instead, she on her back with a devastating pain in her throat, a familiar pain that reminds her of her impending death. Warmth spreads down her throat and pools behind her head on the floor. But, she doesn't notice. All she sees is Damon's blue eyes. One moment, they are happy and surrounded by Damon's room, and the next, they are terrified and framed by Elena's blood splattered living room. Then, back again. Mesmerized by the constant shifting and subdued by severe blood loss Elena remains in a haze, caught between two realities.

Elena barely feels something pressing into her lips and a trickle of a warm liquid into her mouth. She gags no the metal taste and nearly chokes as it washes to the back of her throat.

"Swallow it, Elena. Please."

Damon's desperate pleading breaks her heart into tiny pieces and she never wants to hear his voice like that again. So, she does as he asks. Damon's face continues to morph back and forth, but when Elena takes in a deep breath and slowly her strength returns, Damon's terrified expression transforms into one of relief.

As the fog of blood loss disperses from Elena's mind, she realizes that her Damon finally arrived at the Gilbert house and gave her his blood to heal. But, she's still within the memory strike with vampire Elena. Damon's jostling seems to be disrupting the memory, so she's getting glimpses of each world. Memory Damon seems frozen in place, by her Damon is carrying her to the kitchen. With the cupboards at his back, Elena figures that she's sitting on the center island with Damon holding her upright. He's frantically trying to pull some sign of up life from her. Elena looks to her vampire version for input, but she seems just as lost but groaning in exertion.

"What are you doing?"

"I'm trying to break us loose from the memory strike," she growls, sweat glistening from her skin.

"Don't. I'm healed, so you don't have to fight for me. Damon has me. He'll keep me safe."

Vampire Elena pauses at the certainty in her companion's voice. Has she finally grown to trust Damon? Either way, Elena relaxes and lets the power from the memory strike flow through her mind and wash them away. A blink later and the girls are standing in her kitchen while memory Elena stands over a blood covered sink.

"Where are we now? Err, I mean when."

"Senior year in high school," vampire Elena answers, watching her memory version try to rinse away the blood. "We tried and failed to kill Klaus. Stefan was still struggling with his humanity and blood addiction. He didn't care that his pissing contest with Klaus nearly killed Jeremy and Alaric. I wasn't handling it well. I was young and overwhelmed."

Human Elena stares at the older vampire and nods. She understands that feeling. Hell, she's drowning right now. She's not even sure how she's still standing. She wants to curl into a little ball cry for days. But, that won't help. Instead, she stares at the memory version that is only a few months older than her.

Elena squeezes the blood soaked rag into the sink, breathing deeply to hold back the tears burning at the back of her eyes. She plops it into the sink and reaches for the soap dispenser. She's trying desperately to stay focused on the task at hand, but her mind keeps wandering back to this nightmarish day. First, Klaus threatens at the Grill, then Tyler's absurd visit and Jeremy's near-death experience, followed by Ric's actual death experience. What the hell is wrong with Alaric's ring, anyway? Just one more problem to add to the pile. Of course, Stefan didn't care about the damage he was causing to her life and loved ones. She's just collateral damage to him now.

Plus, Elena's brother is now a stone cold murderer, of hybrids anyway. How could he act like it was no big deal? Cutting off someone's head is always a big deal! Reliving this day was something she didn't want to do, but her mind just wasn't listening. She's probably on encore three when Damon enters her home and she's grateful for the distraction.

He walks in slowly, inspecting the state of the house as he goes. He's been so careful with her lately; like she's going to break any minute. But, she's not going to break. She can't. Because if she broke…if she let Klaus or Stefan or Rebekah or random hybrids get to her…she'd start crying and never stop. She'd slip into that dark place that held tight to her after her parents died. Lately, Damon's the only one that's kept her afloat.

"Did you get rid of him?" She asks, taking a steadying breath and without pausing in her task.

"Yeah, Tony the headless hybrid's now at the bottom of Steven's quarry," he answers as he reaches the kitchen and stops in front of the center island, a few feet behind Elena.

"What about Alaric?"

"Took care of him, too. He'll be fine."

Damon watches Elena scrub roughly on a patch of dried blood that splashed onto the kitchen backsplash before asking in a gentle voice. "How are you?"

"I think I got most the blood off the porch," she whispers. He can hear the quiver in her voice and admires her determination to stay strong, but he needs to know how she's fairing. He needs to know how close to the deep end she's wading. He's an expert at diving in head first, but this the first time he's tried prevent someone else from making the same mistake.

"Elena. Look at me," he says sternly and Elena sighs. She looks up and blinks to fight the tears that still burn at the back of her eyes. They will not win tonight. She slowly twists around to face him without moving away from the sink. Her brown eyes meet his solid gaze and it helps calm her, if only slightly.

"It's going to be okay," he says in all earnestly and she believes him. They will survive this. They always survive.

She nods solemnly and looks away from him. Now comes the hard part. Will he understand? No. He'll be angry with her and worried. He's doing everything he can to keep Elena and her family safe. He won't see releasing Rebekah as helping the cause. But, she had to do it to save Jeremy. There was nothing Damon could say to Stefan that would make him want to help. That she knew for certain. So, she did what had to be done. Now, she has to deal with the consequences. Damon will understand, won't he?

"I have to tell you something," she says, grabbing the spray bottle and her dirty rag to stand across from Damon. She drops the cleaning utensils on the island between them and wipes at her eye with the side of her hand, trying to avoid the dried blood on her palms and fingers.

"I, uh, made a deal with Klaus," she says looking directly at Damon. "I gave him Rebekah."

"What? No, no, no. You did not do that," Damon implores her. He searches her eyes desperately hoping that it's just a sick joke. But, Elena wouldn't joke about that. Especially, not tonight.

"She's going to come here and try to kill you," he says, looking around as though Rebekah could barge in at any moment.

"No, she won't. Klaus won't let her because he needs me."

"And suddenly, you trust him?"

"No, I don't trust him," Elena snaps sternly. "But, what other choice do I have? I don't trust Stefan. Do you think he's just going give up the coffins?"

Damon leans back just a fraction and bites his tongue. He's not allowed to tell Elena of Stefan's plan. But, he wants to. He doesn't like lying to her, so he tells her a truth.

"My brother's…sort of running his own show right now."

"Yeah, my brother just chopped off someone's head," she says angrily, then slowly shakes her head. "It's not right. It's not fair. He's sixteen years old. He shouldn't have to live like this."

The tears are burning again with a vengeance, but still Elena holds them back as she turns away from Damon and returns to the sink.

"Elena," Damon calls, but she shakes her head.

"There has to be another way," she murmurs with a sniffle as she turns on the water, hoping to wash away all the blood. Maybe, the pain will go with it. "I have to fix it."

"We will," Damon tells her, and he walks around the island to join her at the sink. She ignores him at her back and keeps scrubbing furiously at her hands. She has to fix it. She has to scrub away all the blood. The blood that she invited into their lives.

"Hey." Damon turns the water off and forces her to turn and face him. He places both hands on either side of her face, pinning the hair to her skin so as not to get distracted by its warmth and smoothness. Right now, Damon has to focus on calming Elena and making sure she knows that everything will be okay. He'll make sure of it.

"We will. Okay?"

Elena stares into his blue eyes and feels the tug of his presence. His nearness alone seems to calm her anxiety and ignite something lower. She glances at his lips for moment and nods before meeting his eyes again. He always knows how to ground her and keep her from spinning out. And, she's grateful for it.

"I'll do whatever you need me to do. Tell me what you need, Elena?"

"I need Jeremy to be safe and to have a normal life," she answers.

"Okay, we'll send him away. Some place safe where he can have a normal life," he says simply, letting his thumb caress her cheek gently. Elena nods silently, unable to say anything more.

Human Elena watches the scene curiously. She can see this Damon and Elena are not as close as they'll grow to be by the day of Jeremy's wedding, but memory Elena is leaning on him in ways that before she'd only ever leaned on Stefan. Watching them is an odd sensation, to say the least, but as the world returns to reality she that finds living the situation feels much different.

Suddenly, her Damon stands in front of her with a concerned expression. She's sitting on the center island in the kitchen with Damon holding both arms to steady her. Blood covers her clothes and face, but her throat doesn't hurt anymore. She touches the new skin on her neck and inhales a breath of relief. She's not going to die today. She smiles at Damon and his own relief is evident.

"Are you okay?" He asks in a desperate and broken voice that she's never heard from him. She tries to nod, instead her whole body shakes. She tries to give him a comforting smile, but grimaces instead. Shock can have the strangest affects on the body.

Today has been a no good, very bad day, and it just needs to end. So, Elena grabs Damon's jacket and pulls him close. She buries her head in his chest and closes her eyes as he wraps his arms around her. She breathes in the smell of bourbon and leather and feels safe for what seems like the first time in weeks.


	29. Chapter 29

Chapter 29

Damon isn't certain that God cares about the world, or that he even exists. He's seen too much murder, mayhem, and just plain nasty things during the last century and a half. Hell, he's responsible for most of it. So most days Damon assumes he's on his own, but not today. Today, he thanks God and Jesus and Allah and Buddha and fucking Zeus that Elena Gilbert is still breathing. That her heart still beats. That she didn't bleed to death on her living room floor because he took too long washing vervain out of his hair.

Damon's arms tighten around Elena as she hides from the world against his chest. He tries to calm his racing heart, telling himself that she's safe. That's she's okay. That the first woman he's cared for, since the Queen Bitch, didn't die a horrible death. No, Elena is fine. But, who ever did this to her is not. In fact, the perpetrator is about two seconds from getting his or her head ripped off. All Damon needs is a name.

"Who did this?" He whispers against Elena's hair, but she just shakes her head. Feeling the small tremors from her body, Damon realizes that the young woman is in shock. Honestly, it's about time. Between murderous doppelgängers, tomb vampires, and yours truly, Elena should be a teenage basket case. So, Damon turns his icy gaze toward the other Elena. The Elena that's fifty years his senior and more than capable of protecting the fragile human. He can't help the accusing tone of his voice.

"What happened?"

"Is she okay? How's her color?" Elena asks obviously concerned and ignorant of the energy building around the doppelgängers due to her close proximity. Had she noticed all buzzing light fixtures, she might have kept her distance. Instead, Elena's medical training demands that she assess the patient's heart rate and vampire hearing is a fantastic tool . "Her pulse is strong. That's good, but I need to check her capillary…"

Damon snatches future Elena's outreached hand by the wrist and snarls. "Stop. Don't touch her. She doesn't need anymore of those fucking memory strikes."

Surprised, vampire Elena just stares at the younger version of her husband, too stunned to pull her wrist free from his iron grip. Even when the kitchen light bursts and sprinkles glass all around, neither vampire moves. Never before has Damon spoken to her with such venom. Sure, he's grown angry and frustrated. They've had some epic blow out fights that left entire rooms destroyed. Elena is not normally one to throw things in anger, but Damon just really knows how to push her buttons. Her husband, on the other hand, prefers to destroy furniture as a way to curb his homicidal tendencies during their fights. Replacing pool tables, recliners, chairs, and a sofa or two is easier than covering up a murder spree.

Yet, even in the midst of their most destructive arguments, Damon never frightened her. She never felt unloved or despised. She's always been secure in the knowledge that the man she married loves her with the entirety of his being; heart and soul. Even when she's a pain in the ass. But, this Damon doesn't love future Elena. He loves his Elena. The one still breathing and sobbing in his arms because the two vampires Damon trusted to protect her failed him. So, now he's scared and grateful, but mostly angry.

"Get away from her," he growls and vampire Elena nods silently. She slowly pulls her hand back when he releases her wrist, and then shuffles away from the kitchen. She waits by the couch, observing the ten foot rule, while Caroline inspects the bodies.

"Katherine's dead," she hollers from the hallway and then enters the living room. Elena shifts in Damon's arms, pulling his focus away from the blonde. Caroline picks up the severed head by two fingers with a grossed out expression at first. Then, she recognizes the dark face. "Aww, Lucy Bennet? Poor thing."

She sets the head gently on top of the matching body and steps toward the kitchen. Damon finally glances back at her with an annoyed expression. She tosses her hands up into the air in exasperation. "Well, it's official! We've royally screwed this timeline."

"Yeah," Elena agrees with a shrug and then smiles hesitantly at Damon. "But, on the bright side, Katherine's dead."

"Did Katherine do this?" Damon demands and Elena's smile falls.

"No. It was…" vampire Elena pauses to glance at the decapitated body in her blood soaked living room. For the first time since arriving, Damon assesses the carnage around them. He can't see Katherine's grey corpse from his stance in the kitchen, but he can see the severed head lying on a prone body next to the couch. The realization hits him like a ton of bricks.

"Stefan," human Elena whispers. "It was Stefan."

 _No,_ Damon mutters to himself as he stares at his brother's handiwork in the living room. He can't bring himself to look down at the vulnerable girl in his arms because he doesn't want to see the pain and betrayal in her eyes. Elena doesn't seem to notice his hesitation as she remains pressed into his chest, clinging to the safety he offers. _How could he do it? How could Stefan hurt her?_

"Oh, no," Caroline groans, placing both hands on her face in exasperation. "How could this happen? Again? We're supposed to stop the bad things from happening, not cause them."

"Where is he?" Damon asks the older doppelgänger, but Elena is distracted by the blonde's accusing tone.

"It wasn't us. It was Katherine," vampire Elena argues.

"Katherine? It wasn't the girls?"

"No," Elena shakes her head. "But, they were definitely here…"

"Where is Stefan?" Damon asks, louder this time. The Elena in his arms lifts her head slightly at the sound of his voice. After a quick glance around, she returns to the comforting sensation of Damon's leather jacket.

Human Elena feels as though she's in a slow moving dream. She can hear everyone speaking around her, but her mind refuses to understand the words. Instead, she feels dull and numb. Like floating in warm water, the surrounding world just fades away and she doesn't fight it. She just listens to the slow beat of Damon's heart and tries to tune out the vampires around her. She doesn't want to face the reality of her world; a reality in which her boyfriend tried to kill her, headless corpses lie in her living room, and murderous witchpires roam her town. No, for just this moment, Elena hides within the shock induced haze.

"The munchkins took him," vampire Elena answers.

"What? Why didn't you stop them? Did they say anything?"

"I was a little busy at the time, Caroline."

"Enough with the bullshit," Damon growls. "Tell us what happened."

Elena quickly describes recent events, leaving out the details of her memory strikes, opting to focus on real world problems. Glancing at the clock, Elena is surprised at how little time passed during their adventure. It feels like hours since she'd left the boarding house with Stefan and his girlfriend.

"So, let me get this straight. Lucy magically linked Katherine and Stefan so that he was suffering from werewolf venom, too. Which caused him to hallucinate and eat Lucy. Then, he decided to wash the witch down with a tasty glass of Elena," Damon says when Elena finishes explaining, but Caroline shakes her head.

"No, when a witch loses consciousness any spell not bound to an object breaks. So, Elena broke the spell when she attacked Lucy, which was before Stefan got a hold of her."

Damon flashes Caroline an annoyed expression, but accepts her 'expertise' in the area. Trusting any version of the flighty blonde with anything important grates across Damon's nerves, but it's the only option he has at the moment.

"I just don't get why he attacked Lucy if she were unconscious. He should have come back to himself," Caroline adds.

"I think that that was my fault…" Elena pauses to glance around at all the blood surrounding her in the living room. "I…I forgot."

"Forgot what?" Damon asks.

"About Stefan's control, or lack of it. Our Stefan has gotten so good at control. He doesn't drink from the vein, but at least he's drinking human blood from bags. I forgot that this Stefan hasn't learned that yet. He's still on animal blood. Between the hallucinations, rabid hunger, and my blood art in here, it's no wonder he took Lucy's head off. I basically offered her up on a silver platter. He must have gone after…the other me…right after Lucy."

"What do you mean? Where were you?"

"I was dealing with Katherine. I stopped Stefan as soon as I realized what was happening. I snapped his neck and immediately applied medical aid as best I could. And, the girls took Stefan. I couldn't stop them. It was I could do to keep pressure on her wound. I wanted to give her my blood to save her, but…I couldn't do it. "

Damon nods at the older doppelgänger as she stares at him with imploring eyes. Silently, she begs him to believe her and he does. Caroline explained on their hastened drive over that future Elena couldn't give his Elena her blood because they didn't know what would happen to the timelines. Personally, he'd have ripped the vampire's neck open to save Elena, the universe be damned. He sighs again as the adrenaline that fueled his twisted-metal-esq drive through town finally ebbs.

Suddenly, he's very aware that Elena Gilbert is pressed against him. He's not stupid. Damon recognizes her firm grip on his jacket and the need to stay close. Stefan scared the shit out of her. The one man that's supposed to care and protect her from everything; he suddenly turned on her and came very close to killing Elena. She got an up-close and personal view of the real Stefan. Under all that brooding hair, he's not so saintly.

Now, somehow, Damon makes Elena feel safe. Which is odd, to say the least. Damon can't help but wonder if a frighten human Elena is better than a sire-bound vampire Elena. He quickly brushes the thought away because it doesn't matter. Elena's in shock and she needs something from him. He'd prefer to sooth her fears with kisses and steamy sex, but that doesn't seem to be what she needs right now. Right now, she needs him to stand in this spot and let her hide from the world against his chest. Who is he to argue?

"You have to find Stefan," Elena says to Damon, but he shakes his head no with a sneer.

"I'm not going anywhere." Human Elena's grip on his jacket tightens and she seems to tug Damon even closer. Apparently, the little brunette isn't as out of it as he thought.

"Caroline?" Elena asks, turning to her.

"What? I can't go after him. I have my hands full with my children running amok and the eternal migrane that is Klaus Mikaelson," Caroline complains, throwing her hands in the air. "Besides, the girls are after the Ripper of Monterey which means they're going to try to flip Stefan's switch."

"What?! Why would they do that?"

"Because Klaus told them to, apparently."

"Hmmm, it seems your loving children obey the resident psycho better than their own mother. You should really look into that," Damon says snidely.

"You're not helping," Elena snaps at him from the living room.

"That's because I'm done helping you two. Pack your shit and go back through whatever swirling vortex of doom you came from. You've been nothing but trouble since you've arrived."

Caroline vamp speeds to the kitchen counter to stand a few feet from Damon and his human. She glares at him over the brunette's head and Damon tightens his grip on Elena protectively. He suddenly remembers that the blonde is older and stronger than him, so pissing her off with a vulnerable Elena in his hands might not have been the best choice.

"Number 1, no. You don't tell me what to do, Damon. Number 2, us leaving would be worse for you and everyone else in town. Klaus' plans never turn out good for the people around him. Number 3, we couldn't leave if we wanted to."

"We don't know where the portal is hiding. It moved after we crossed over. It'll probably keep doing that until the girls make it stop," Elena explains calmly.

Damon curses, rolling his eyes at the predicament, and Elena smiles at his typical behavior. She's so enthralled with the younger version of her husband that Elena almost doesn't catch the familiar, goofy laugh of someone on the porch. Instantly, Elena vamp speeds to the kitchen doorway and stares at the turning knob of the front door. The chatter is friendly and playful and everything she remembers. It's like a ball of molten lava swirls within her stomach. It burns and excites all at once as the front door swings open.

Elena's vampire mind watches everything happen in slow motion. She sees the door swing wide and bump against the wall, revealing three loving figures. Always the gentleman, Alaric's strong chin and build stands back from the door to allow the others to enter first. Elena's breath catches at the sight of him so different than the last time they spoke; when his eye were plagued with cataracts and wrinkles hugged his broad smile. Jeremy punches the older man playfully with a chuckle and tears fill Elena's eyes. Her baby brother seems so much like a child with his teenage cheeks and younger frame. He hasn't yet hardened his body nor soul to the ravages of the supernatural world. He's barely made his mark on this world and vice versa. Elena isn't sure how to feel about seeing her father figure and brother, or this timeline's version of them. She's conflicted and unsure what to do. On one hand, she wants to run to them and pull them into the best bear hug she can manage without breaking bones. On the other, she wants to hide away and protect herself from the eventual heartbreak of leaving them behind. Of course in that one instant that the door opens, Elena feels everything without comprehending it all. If it had only been Alaric and Jeremy, she might have stayed. She might've been able to pull herself together. But, it wasn't just the boys at the door.

Jenna steps into the house without looking as she says something to Jeremy over her shoulder with playfully teasing. It isn't until her second step that she turns back to face Elena and their eyes meet. The brunette vampire recognizes her Aunt's easy-going smile and her heart shatters into a million pieces.

"Elena?" Jenna says and that ball of molten lava inside Elena instantly hardens, slamming into her gut. A gasp later and Elena is gone, disappearing through the back door.

Jenna enters the house first, so she's the first to notice the disarray. But, before the screaming and chaos, Jenna sees her niece staring at her from the end of the hallway. She almost smiles at the young brunette, still high from her night out with Jeremy and Ric. But, she blinks and Elena is suddenly gone, making Jenna wonder if she were every truly there to begin with. Stopping in the middle of the hallway, she glances around and gasps when she finds Elena crumpled on the ground. And, that's when the screaming ensues.

"What the hell happened?" Jeremy asks running past the chaos of Jenna reaching and screaming for Katherine's body while Ric tries to pull her away. He finds Caroline rushing out the kitchen into the living room with her arms extended as though that would calm everyone. "Is that…"

"No," Caroline answer immediately. "It's Katherine. Elena is fine. She's in the kitchen with Damon."

Jeremy makes a bee line for his sister to find her wrapped up in the older Salvatore's arms. He pauses at the wide archway separating the kitchen and living room and stares questioningly at the vampire.

"She's fine," Damon answers. "Elena's had what some may describe as an eventful day. I, myself, consider it a typical day in the hell hole that is Mystic Falls."

"Damon, I need you to go after Elena," Caroline calls from the living room and both men turn to her; one in confusion and the other in shock at the absurdity of her statement.

"I'm not going any where," Damon argues, motioning to the fragile brunette in his arms.

"Elena's right her," Jeremy says, but Caroline ignores him and continues addressing Damon.

"I need your help here. I can't go after both Stefan and Elena. And, we can't afford for either of them to flip, right now."

"No, I told you. I'm done with you," Damon snarls at the blonde and, much to his surprise, she finally falters. Ever since her arrival in this timeline, Damon hasn't truly been able to reconcile the strong, independent woman standing amongst the blood and mayhem of Elena's living room with the annoying, insecure, brat of a child that's probably sitting at home watching America's Next Top Model at this very moment. He hasn't been able to figure out how Caroline could've changed so much, even if it took 200 years. But at his declaration, Caroline finally crumbles under the weight of everything and lets the 17 year-old child within her shine through.

"Damon, stop being such a shit head," she yells, stomping her feet and crossing her arms. He simply stares at her for a moment while she glares angrily at him. Finally, he shrugs unapologetically.

"No."

And, then the tears start to fall.

"I can't do this," Caroline whines, placing her hands to her head and shutting her eyes against the tears of frustration. "I can't… _do_ … _everything_ …"

"Caroline?" Jeremey questions soothingly as he steps toward her, reaching out to help. Jenna's screams of anguish from within Ric's embrace aren't doing the job.

"No, I can't. I can't stop Klaus, save my kids, battle hybrids, save Stefan, _and_ save Elena. I can't do it, Damon!"

Damon opens his mouth to remind the blonde how much he doesn't care for her nor her problems. He will deal with Stefan himself if he has to, but later. And, future Elena isn't his problem. Sure, the sire bond would probably make it easy to convince her to come back, but this is Elena we're talking about. She lives for family. There's no doubt in Damon's mind that future Elena will walk back through that door any moment shedding tears of joy at seeing her friends and family again. Just you wait. Any moment now.

"Go," the fragile human in Damon's arms finally whispers, capturing the attention of both vampires.

"What?" Damon asks gently, loosening his grip on Elena as she pulls away from him. She doesn't meet his eyes when she releases his jacket and shivers at the loss of his warmth. Cringing at another piercing wail from her Aunt Jenna, Elena turns to Caroline with what remains of her shattered will. As she will prove over and over again during the centuries to come, Elena is always willing to help a friend no matter the personal cost. As wonderful as her safe space makes her feel, Elena can't hide from the world when her friends need her help. Two hundred or seventeen years, Caroline is her friend.

"Go, help Stefan. Damon can go after the other me. I'll stay here with Jeremy and Jenna. We'll clean this up."

"The other you?" Jeremy asks, but again everyone ignores him. Caroline looks to Damon for confirmation, but he's watching the small brunette.

"Go, Caroline," Elena prods. "Let us help you."

Finally, Caroline smiles gratefully with a sigh of relief and vamp speeds out the front door. Jeremy, Elena, and Damon remain in the kitchen while Ric soothes his sobbing girlfriend on the porch. Elena stares at the wreckage of her living room, trying to collect herself enough to complete her task. Damon remains at her back unmoving, waiting to see how the fragile woman copes with her new responsibility.

"Jeremy, call Sheriff Forbes. We need help with the bodies," she says in a shaken voice.

"What the hell am I supposed to tell her?" He complains and Elena sighs in frustration.

"Elena…" Damon begins, reaching for Elena's arm. She shies away from his grasp without facing him and Damon pauses in surprise.

"No. I…I need you to leave. Go after the other Elena. Help her. Please, just go."

Damon's outreached hand curls into a fist at Elena's words and he drops it to his side. His concern for her hardens just a bit as he imperceptibly recoils from her rejection.

"Fine," he mutters and steps toward the back door. Elena closes her eyes at his cold tone. She hadn't meant to scold him. She just needs distance from him. With him near, all she wants to do is curl back into him and hide from the world. But, she can't do that right now. So, he has to leave. He has to leave so she can stand alone. But, that doesn't mean she has to hurt him.

 _He's just trying to help,_ Elena reminds herself. _And, he has. He saved my life._

"Damon," Elena calls without looking at him. He stops to face her with an annoyed expression, feeling a bit like a dog on a leash.

"What?" He says in harsh tone that finally snatches Elena's gaze.

"Thank you."

Her words catch Damon off guard and he can only nod. She smiles gently before turning toward the open front door where Jenna and Alaric await. Damon watches Jenna's surprise and relief at seeing Elena alive. The horrified tears of loss that plague the middle-aged woman's face transform into grateful sobs of joy as she wraps her arms around her niece.

"What the hell happened, Damon?" Jeremy asks again. This time Damon shrugs dismissively.

"Vampires, doppelgängers, witches, witchpires and time travel. Buy the ebook."


End file.
